Nikki, Brie Garcia Open Up About Their Name Change: “We Wanted Our Power Back”
Photo by: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal Reading Time: 3 minutes
Formerly known as Nikki and Brie Bella, Nikki and Brie Garcia are feeling a new level of empowerment now that they’re using their birth names. The celebrity twins recently shared how changing their screen names impacted their life outlook.
Nikki, Brie Garcia Share Why They Changed Their Names
In March 2023, the two announced on their podcast The Nikki & Brie Show that their contracts with WWE had expired. With the decision to not renew their commitment, leaving the company meant their end of being Nikki and Brie Bella. Hence, the choice to return to their real names.
During their appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the twins discussed this dramatic move. According to the former WWE beauties, reintroducing themselves as the Garcia twins meant going back to their origins.
“When you leave, you don’t get to take your name with you. So you have to keep it at the ring, which was unfortunate,” Brie said. “But also for us, we just really wanted our power back. We wanted to fully own our brand. It was like going back to our roots, it’s our legal name. It’s what we grew up with. So it feels really good. Very empowered.”
Of leaving WWE, Garcia twins call it ‘bittersweet.” Yet, while they do miss the ring, they knew they had to move forward.
“It’s one of those things where it’s always a part of you,” Nikki said. “But like it, in this book of life, it was a chapter and a chapter we’ll always keep close to our hearts, but now we’re about to walk into a whole new decade of 40.”
In a previous interview with E! News, the twins said that turning 40 changed their perspective about the life they want.
“Entering our 40s, Brie and I are like, ‘You know what? This decade, it’s time for the Garcia twins to make history.’ And we’re in a different time in our lives. So, it’s time to have this transformation and do it in another way. And we’re blessed that we can do it with two names,” Nikki said.
Brie Talks Married Life with DWTS Pro Artem Chigvintsev
Elsewhere in the interview, Nikki opened up about the unusual arrangement of events of her and Artem Chigvintsev’s love story. As per Nikki, she and the DWTS pro decided to get married after they’ve “tested it for a few years.”
“We did everything kind of backwards,” she said. “We had a kid first, we went through the pandemic, so we survived that together and then we got married.”
Nikki and Chigvintsev met when they were paired together on season 25 of Dancing With The Stars. At the time though, the retired WWE wrestler was still engaged to John Cena.
In March 2019, the couple made their relationship Instagram official. Since then, Nikki and the professional choreographer have celebrated a number of milestones alongside each other.
At present, both twins are navigating life together as wives and mothers. They’re living in California with their families. Nikki shares son Matteo with Chigvintsev, while Brie is mom to Birdie and Buddy with wrestler Daniel Bryan. The twins are also running their wine business, Bonita Bonita.
“We’re just loving life in Napa Valley and just raising the kids and having our husbands,” Nikki said before. “It’s honestly perfect. We’re so blessed.”
