WWE Evolution 2018: Top Ten Most Successful Female Wrestlers
Photo credit: WWE.com
#2: Nikki Bella
There was a group of fans who wanted to discredit Nikki for her work in the Divas division, even going so far as to call it hurtful to the women’s division. Here’s why they were wrong.
Nikki debuted on SmackDown Live in Nov. 2008 and quickly found her way to the top with the help of her sister Brie Bella. The twins weren’t always heel, but they certainly did their best work while on the bad side of the roster, taking advantage of a sneaky trade-off trick they called “Twin Magic”.
The Bellas left the ring for a brief period of time due to injury and a pregnancy, but before they did, Nikki created some waves for women in wrestling. Nikki is a two-time Diva Champion, holding the title for the longest time in history, 301 days. Nikki received Diva of the Year from Rolling Stone in Dec. 2015 and PWI ranked her number one in their Female 50 in Nov. 2015.
Nikki has fought in a intergender tag-team match, was team captain for Survivor Series, and entered the first women’s Royal Rumble at number 27, lasting 16:30 before being eliminated by the winner, Asuka. Nikki was also honored at Raw 25, standing among the women recognized as those who helped shape the Women’s Division into what it is today.
Nikki and Brie have done an amazing job bringing women’s wrestling to the forefront of discussion by using their television appearances to educate. They have acted as judges and presenters, have a YouTube channel, a wine label, clothing brand, and have been featured in nine WWE video games.
They acted as the core in WWE’s reality show Total Divas, and created their own version in Total Bellas. It would be easy to place the Bellas in the same group as the other reality stars and their wine labels, but the Bellas remain an important part of the women’s revolution, and without their ability to hold their own in public appeal, would the division get the credit or exposure it needs?
Nikki Bella will face Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women’s Championships at Evolution. There’s no doubt Brie will be there for support, or perhaps a little magic.
The Stats
-Two title reigns
-Nine years of active wrestling in WWE territories
-446 matches recorded
-58.95 percent win record
-31 pay-per-view matches