Nikki and Brie Bella leave WWE, announce name change

The Bella Twins ended their WWE careers.

Nikki and Brie Bella have announced their retirement from WWE and a major name change.

The twin sisters announced the decision on Tuesday, telling fans they will now be known by their real names Nikki and Brie Garcia, or the Garcia twins.

“We’re officially out of here today, Garcia Twins, Brie and Nikki Garcia,” Nikki said on Tuesday’s show “The Nikki & Brie Show” on SiriusXM.

“We’re going to be 40 in November, we’re mothers, we’re entrepreneurs, we’re executive producers, and now we’re stars, we’re running the show,” added Nikki, who is 16 minutes older than Brie.

The twins explained that when their WWE contracts ended, they “knew it was time to move on to the next chapter.”

“I just want to thank Brie Bella,” Brie said Tuesday.

“The character, the name, everything I’ve been through for the last 16, 17 years…I’m so excited to close this chapter on Brie Bella, put the book aside, open a new book, and look at Brie What will Garcia do next”

The pair signed to WWE in 2007, with Brie first wowing fans in August 2008.

Three months later, Nicky replaced her older sister in the ring in what became known as “Twin Magic”.

After releasing Bellas in 2012, they returned to WWE the following year.

Meanwhile, the pair signed a major contract on the hit show “Total Divas,” during which Nikki became the longest-reigning WWE Divas Champion.

Nikki and Brie later starred in their own spin-off series called “Total Bellas,” which ran for six seasons from 2016 to 2021.

The pair were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2020.

“I’m so grateful to Nikki Bella,” Nikki said.

“She gave me strength, she inspired me, she really made me fearless. The way she paved the way for women and youth and everything she did and will continue to do, just like Nikki Garcia Same.”

on Instagram, The couple shared a video About themselves opening huge doors and entering buildings.

“Hi, I’m Nikki Garcia, Hi, I’m Brie Garcia. We are the Garcia twins. 👯‍♀️ Welcome to the next chapter! 🦋✨🤍✨🦄🤩🥳🫶🏼🫶🏼🍷🥂🍾” – they wrote road.

Nikki is married to Dancing with the Stars favorite Artyom Chigvintsev and has a son, Matteo.

Brie married wrestling star Brian Danielson in 2014.

The couple have two children, Birdie and Buddy.