10 Superstars Who Aren't As Big As They Think They Are

9. Nikki Bella

Triple H
WWE.com

In a division still mostly in the dark and a relationship that would be permanently and unfairly credited with her achieving any success in the company, Nikki Bella quietly became a good professional wrestler.

She did not - despite relentless doses of received wisdom and revisionist history - help drive forward the women's division to what it is today.

Quite the opposite in fact; Bella was a total Diva before a huge reality show branded her as such. Hired as much to perform in bikini battles more than brilliant brawls, Nikki and sister Brie hung from the arms of Guest Hosts and hung around backstage whilst a mini-revolution began on NXT and AJ Lee attempted to reframe the narrative around a feckless female league.

It's the latter's persona non grata status in modern day WWE that makes Nikki's story so easy to slot in place. Without Lee to feature (due, presumably, to ill feeling between the company and her husband CM Punk), Nikki Bella was considered the bridge between the then and now and will be immortalised as such forever.

Far from fighting to break the mold, she was, for the most part, a paticipatory footnote.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett