7 things you probably did not know about the Bella Twins

Things You probably did not know about the Bella TwinsThe Bella Twins have been a big presence in the divas division. Nikki recently became the longest reigning Divas Champion and it shows the amount of backing that the Twins have in the company.The fans, on the other hand, are a different story altogether. They see the Bella Twins as misfits in the women’s division and tag them as overachievers.Now, whether the Bellas are overachievers or not is a topic for another day. This time around, we are going to take a look at some of the lesser known facts about the Bella Twins like the secret behind Brie’s tattoo, the previous relationships of the twins and much more.

#1 The story behind Brie\'s tattoo

Brie’s Tattoo has a meaning

We have our own ways of distinguishing Nikki and Brie. And some do this by spotting the tattoo that Brie has on her lower stomach. It is a bear claws tattoo and there is more than what meets the eye about the tattoo. The tattoo was done in memory of her boyfriend who she lost when she was just 18.

"Death is always a life changing experience, especially when the person is close to you. At 18, I had to experience losing my boyfriend to a tragic death. Not only was it sad losing my boyfriend but his beautiful soul.

I was fortunate enough to learn from him. Instead of losing faith, I gained spirituality. He has a very special place in my heart, always will. The Bear Claws you see on my lower stomach are in memory of him,” Brie said.

#2 They were part of the 2006 Divas Search

They failed to make the cut in Divas search

Before entering into a clear cut contract with WWE, the Bella Twins tried their luck in the 2006 Divas search. It was the third edition of the search and surprisingly, the Twins failed to make it into the final eight.

The season boasted of other future divas like Maryse, Rosa Mendes and the eventual winner Layla along with some other models who ended up in the final eight.

Unfortunately for the Twins, they did not make the cut. But a year later, the Bellas managed to land a developmental contract with WWE and were sent to Florida Championship wrestling for training.

#3 Hobbies outside Wrestling

Soccer player and an advocate

The Bella Twins are busy with professional wrestling, but their skills aren’t one dimensional. Back in school, Nikki and Brie used to be soccer players and Nikki in particular excelled at the sport.

Her soccer dreams, however, came to an end when she picked up a leg injury. Nikki played in the center midfield position when Brie was a sweeper. Apart from this, Nikki is a qualified Real-estate agent and it is something she could work on after her retirement from wrestling.

Brie likes drawing in her down time and is an animal and environment advocate. She has promoted awareness of environmental and animal cruelty issues on Total Divas as well.

#4 The time difference between their births

They were born 16 minutes apart

Although it might seem like Brie is the older from the two sisters, the honor actually goes to Nikki Bella. The two sisters were born on November 21, 1983. The real life Nicole Garcia-Colace was born 16 minutes earlier than Brianna Monique Garcia-Colace.

Their parents Jon Garcia and Kathy Colace were not expecting Twins and it ended up being a pleasant surprise when they got two beautiful girls.

The Bella Twins were raised in Scottsdale, Arizona and were together in the same class till third grade. Cathy then decided to keep her girls in different classes as she wanted them to grow independently instead of depending on each other.

#5 Worst feud of the year

A perfect example of horrible booking

The Bella twins attract a lot of criticism when it comes to their in-ring work. This reached its epitome when the feud they had back in 2014 was picked as the ‘Worst Feud of the year’ by Wrestling Observers newsletter.

It was a big blow for the Bella Twins but they had some reason to cheer in the year as well.

While Wrestling Observer awarded them with the Worst Feud of the year award, Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked Brie Bella 16th in the Top 50 Female Singles wrestlers in the world. Nikki was ranked 24th in the list and considering how prestigious the list is, it is clearly a big boost for the Twins.

#6 Television debut and Miss USA Contest

Bellas made their television debut before WWE

If you thought that WWE was the first crack at television for the Bella Twins, think again. Before making it into Vince McMahon’s promotion, the twins made their television debut through Fox Reality show Meet My folks.

The appearance ended up being a big success and they were hired by Budweiser to promote the World Cup. They appeared in numerous photo shoots with the World Cup trophy, as part of the campaign.

The Twins also made a guest appearance in MTV Series Ridiculousness and co-starred in an independent film named ‘confessions of a womanizer’. Nikki even had the opportunity to be one of the celebrity judges on the Miss USA 2013 Pageant.

#7 Nikki Bella used to date Dolph Ziggler

Nikki married when she was 20

Nikki’s relationship with John Cena is a hot topic for discussion among the WWE Universe. They are constantly taking shots at her for the same and some are clearly out of line as well.

Before Nikki settled down with Cena, she dated fellow WWE superstar Dolph Ziggler. The Showoff dated Nikki for about nine months and then they broke up.

Before Ziggler, Nikki was married once at the age of 20. She tied the knot with her high school sweetheart and the marriage was annulled three years later.

Brie on the other hand, had a relationship with former Poison guitarist Richie Kotzen before marrying Daniel Bryan.