Nikki and Brie Garcia Share the Story Behind Their Name Change

Don't call them Nikki and Brie Bella.

Because the former WWE stars are now going by their birth names Nikki and Brie Garcia. As for the reason behind the moniker move? 

"It was time in our lives," Brie exclusively told E! News on the 2023 ESPYS red carpet July 12. "You just get to a place in your life where you just sometimes don't feel aligned anymore in what you're doing."

Nikki also noted the two "didn't own Bella." Still, the sisters are focusing on the future.

"We're gonna be 40 in November," Brie added. "We wanna go back to our roots, to our real name. And here we are—the Garcia twins."

Of course, the Bella Twins will always be a part of their legacy.

"Something that's really cool is the past two decades the Bella Twins made history—they were game changers—and that will be a part of our soul forever," Nikki noted. "And then 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."

In March, the twins announced the name change along with their exit from WWE.

"We're gonna be 40 in November," Nikki said at the time on their podcast The Nikki & Brie Show. "We're mothers. We're entrepreneurs. We're executive producers. We're hosting shows. And when our contract came up with WWE, mutually we all knew we just needed to head into this new chapter."

For the Total Bellas alums, this includes running their wine business Bonita Bonita and living in California with their families. Brie is mom to kids Birdie, 6, and Buddy, 2, with wrestler Daniel Bryan (a.k.a. Bryan Danielson), while Nikki shares son Matteo, 2, with Dancing With the Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev.

"We're just loving life in Napa Valley and just raising the kids and having our husbands," Nikki told E! at the 2023 ESPYS. "It's honestly perfect. We're so blessed."