In recent years, WWE has attracted a number of new fans to its product through the use of celebrities, such as Bad Bunny, Logan Paul, and IShowSpeed. A decade ago, a similar result was achieved through the airing of “Total Divas,” an E! show chronicling the personal and professional lives of the WWE women’s division.
“I think that entire era of Total Divas women was so influential and so impactful for my generation of girls coming up and people coming into wrestling,” current TNA Knockout Steph De Lander told “Gabby AF.” “[They] brought so many casual fans into the wrestling world because they were literally on E! watching like ‘Oh what’s this stuff?'”
“I think they never get enough credit for how many new eyes they brought to wrestling. When I first started watching wrestling, not a single girl had a t-shirt on the [WWE] website and it was like that for years. Then once that boom started, then all of a sudden, the Bellas are selling more merch than most people on the roster. That whole era was so influential for the women.”
Across its nine-season run, viewers of “Total Divas” received an inside look at the lives of WWE Hall of Famers Nikki and Brie Bella, Natalya, Naomi, Paige (now AEW’s Saraya), and many others. For De Lander, her biggest inspiration comes from Nikki Bella, whom she credits as the reason behind her signature red lipstick. Last month, the former WWE Divas Champion returned to action in the 2025 Women’s Royal Rumble, and considering WWE’s current partnership with TNA, De Lander is hopeful they may soon cross paths as colleagues.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Gabby AF” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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