5 Things We Learned From Total Bellas
We watched all six episodes so you don't have to.
It’s safe to say that, as with Total Divas, Total Bellas’ target audience is not the typical WWE audience. However, the average wrestling fan may still be curious about what Total Bellas reveals.
Unlike Total Divas, the Bellas’ show primarily focuses on Nikki, Brie, their respective partners John Cena and Daniel Bryan, as well as their family which includes their mother Kathy and their new step-dad John Laurinaitis. Yes, John Laurinaitis is officially Daniel Bryan’s father-in-law.
The show was filmed at a fairly inauspicious time – Nikki Bella, Daniel Bryan, and John Cena were all out with injuries. It was therefore filmed almost entirely in Florida, where Nikki and Cena live. Brie was the only one on the road with the WWE throughout Total Bellas filming, but the focus is very much on life away from the ring.
We don’t learn much more about the Bellas than we did on Total Divas. However, we do learn a bit more about Bryan and Cena. So instead of sacrificing six precious hours of your time watching the show in full, just take a look at our list of 5 things we learned from Total Bellas.
5. John Laurinaitis Is Back
John Laurinaitis has been off WWE screens since 2012, transitioning to an off-screen role as a producer. He married the Bellas' mother Kathy earlier this year, officially making Laurinaitis part of the Bella family.
Kathy has already appeared frequently on Total Divas, but I would expect to see far more of Laurinaitis on E! screens in some form or other from now on. Ironically, from what we saw of Laurinaitis on the show, manufacturing reality TV-appropriate drama doesn’t seem to come easily to him.
This isn’t entirely unexpected, as Laurinaitis never exactly set the microphone on fire during his time in WWE. But acting skills have never been a pre-requisite for a successful reality TV career.
Kathy’s marriage to Laurinaitis means that every woman in the Colace family is paired up with a high profile wrestler or former wrestler. That’s a pretty unique dynamic, and ripe for reality TV exploitation. Laurinaitis isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.