It’s hard to imagine that Total Divas has been on for seven years now. That’s a lot of entertainment with the incredible ladies of the WWE. We love watching their (semi) real-life struggles and successes. Seeing ‘behind the scenes’ for one of America’s favorite sports is enlightening, to say the least. The Divas have been delivering sexy, strong, and superb shows about their lives outside the ring for long enough to see some real changes take place. We’ll walk you through the ways Total Divas has changed since season one back in 2013.
The Ladies
Though the show premiered with the Bella Twins, Nikki and Brie, Cameron, Naomi, Natalya, Eva Marie, and Jojo, there have been numerous changes in the lineup over the last nine seasons. Of all the season one regulars, only Naomi and Natalya remain on the main cast for the show. Season two said goodbye to Jojo and hello to Summer Rae. By season three Rosa Mendes, Alicia Fox and Paige had joined that lineup.
For the fourth season, they kept the cast mostly the same though some ladies went from regulars to merely recurring characters. In season five the lovely Mandy Rose was tapped for the main cast. Many of the former leads on the show have become guest stars or recurring, but not featured, stars on the show. Other ladies to come and go in the leading ensemble have included Lana, Maryse, Renee Young, and Alexa Bliss. The ninth season has Natalya, and Naomi (of course), Carmella and Nia Jax from season seven, Ronda Rousey and Sonya Deville slated to take over the main cast spots.
The Name
In 2016 the WWE rebranded the women. We like the fact that they gave them the title “Superstars,” since it’s more empowering than just calling them “Divas.” It looked like they might also change the name of the show to reflect the new status and changed the brand name. However, for reasons, we don’t quite understand they kept the name of the show the same. We’d have been just as happy to support the Superstars brand name change. However, it never happened.
As it turns out, the popularity of the show may be to blame for this one. The folks at the WWE were afraid that audiences might be confused if they made that type of change after three years using the Divas name instead. Either way, we love the ladies of the WWE by any name. Natalya spoke to the wrap about the issue, but she didn’t have any better explanation as to why the show ended up keeping its name.
The Bella Twins
Over the years, as main cast or recurring characters, the Bella twins have been massively popular. Though they’ve hardly changed in their 15 years of wrestling, the twins did go through a series of different ‘looks.’ Most recently, Brie cut her long locks into a totally adorable shorter style. Some things never change, like the Bella Twins connection to each other. They used to call themselves the Garcia Twins before they joined the WWE, but we like the new, more beautiful name to match these lovely women. Sadly, some things have to change, and the twins will not be a part of season eight at all. They announced the choice over their podcast to let fans know how much they’ve loved being part of the show, but also that they’re moving on from wrestling. Retirement is inevitable, but they will be hard to replace. Doubtless, Brie will be spending more time with her daughter, Birdie.
Paige
We love Paige. Seeing her on Divas was just the icing on the cake as far as fans were concerned. This English wrestler with her own yoga studio and movie is one of the most exciting, motivated, and entertaining Superstars ever to hit the ring. Her personal history hasn’t always been easy, but she’s fought through it all and come back stronger than ever. Sadly, last year, the wrestling champ and beloved personality had to retire from the ring. She injured her neck and was out for a while. Just as we thought we might get her back, Paige was forced to retire because it was just too risky after her injury. She works as a commentator now and still manages other wrestlers, but unfortunately, we won’t be seeing her in the ring, and we may not even see her on the show.
Premier Date Changes
Though it’s a small change, the premier date changed this year. A few days ago the Divas were all set to premiere Wednesday, October Second. Instead of that the show was bumped up a day and came out on Tuesday, October first instead. We didn’t find any reason for the sudden change, but as long as the show is on, we’re happy to see it on any day.
Pride
Season eight features something we haven’t seen before in the sport. Sonya Deville is an openly lesbian wrestler who’s not hiding who she is at all. This is a huge step forward for women’s wrestling, and we’re thrilled to see more about her life outside the ring as well as inside it. Rumor has it that the wrestler may be looking for love this season. We’re not sure if she’ll find it, but we wish her the best and would love to see this brave and powerful mixed martial arts dynamo more often. We absolutely love that the WWE is opening up about who these women really are. In fact, we’re proud of them for not asking her to hide it. While some folks may approach the subject with trepidation or even disdain, we love a good triumph. Sonya being open about herself and sharing that for the world to see is a victory before she even steps inside the ring.
Final Thoughts
The cast and air dates may change, and yes, people change as well, but you can count on the Superstar Divas to bring the drama. Regardless of who is on the cast in any given season, the ability to get a real inside look at these powerful and incredible women when they aren’t in the ring is delightful and often surprising. Season eight is just beginning, but we’d bet that fans will be watching more of these gorgeous athletes for years to come. Whatever changes they make, we’ll be around to watch the ladies of the WWE as long as they let us.
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