Oh I can hear the criticisms now, but I won’t relent since it’s really time to see the Total Bellas take a nice, long, extended rest from their somehow coveted spot on TV. Just to remind the readers, this is opinion, so comments are welcome and you can clap back at me with just about anything. But the idea of Total Bellas continuing forward, as they’ve been renewed it sounds like for at least one or two seasons, is becoming a reason roll our eyes and wonder just what the WWE is really thinking about in regards to these ladies. There are reasons why the show needs to be relegated to either the WWE channel exclusively or to the refuse bin entirely.
The ‘real’ aspects of their lives are wearing thin on viewers.
One the Bella twins became a part of reality TV outside of the ring their allure kind of took on a different look since some people wanted to see just what went on in their everyday lives and others kind of lost touch with them since they weren’t in the ring as often. It was obvious that injuries were taking a toll on Nikki and Brie wanted to start a family with her beau, now husband, Daniel Bryan. Nikki’s rather tumultuous relationship with John Cena was something that might have caused sparks to fly amidst the WWE fan base, but overall it was more the feeling of when they were going to tie the knot, or if. Once it was made clear that Cena was kind of a control freak and Nikki wasn’t having all of it things started to get a little too Real World for everyone and the ratings took a noticeable dip. In fact it’s kind of fair to say that, despite the love that the fans have been pouring out for the show, that they’ve become yet another reality show cliche.
There’s more than enough female talent to focus on.
At one time the Bella’s were part of a female division that was woefully underrepresented in the WWE and didn’t have enough women to fill the ring even if every one of them were placed in the squared circle at once. The Bella’s were there to compete but they were also there to at least try and kindle some interest in a women’s division that was quite devoid of the numbers that were needed. Now that the women’s division has been expanding and has reached a level that has seen many upon many women reach their potential the Bella’s just aren’t as relevant. It can be said that they’re among the women that kept the division alive, but when it comes to the women’s revolution in the WWE they were in fact one part of that momentous occasion, not the catalyst that started it. If you really thought that then you’d be forgetting a lot of the other female stars that came before them like Mae Young, The Fabulous Moolah, Alundra Blaze, Luna Vachon, Lita, Trish Stratus, Beth Phoenix, and many, many more. The Bella’s aren’t a footnote in the history of the women’s division, but keeping them on their own show and drawing more attention their way instead of focusing on the new and upcoming talent isn’t that wise of a move.
They’re just not as interesting as they used to be.
When they were in the ring they were great. The whole ‘twin magic’ angle was awesome since it invited controversy and deceit, two things that the WWE is known for in the ring. But once they started to separate Nikki and Brie’s story arcs the company really disrupted a working thing and turned these women into divas rather than superstars. By granting them their own show they kind of ruined the women in a way that’s hard not to acknowledge since they disrupted the idea that they were strong and capable women in the ring and made them in to stay at home divas that only appeared every now and then for special occasions just to slip back into the background again when they were done. While being in the ring and on the road would no doubt be hard for Brie as a mother, being a reality TV star isn’t much better. Nikki on the other hand had a stab at greatness before she got injured, but that seems to have gone by the wayside now as she’s had to step aside for the new women coming up through the ranks.
I’ll say it as plainly as I can: their time in the WWE doesn’t need to be over, but their spotlight needs to be dimmed and handed off to someone else. If the WWE wants to keep their show alive on its own network then that might be the best option, because otherwise they’re taking up a slot that might be better off being filled by another show.
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