Bellas keep heat on WWE for Raw XXX’s lack of women while promoting reality show

Nikki Bella isn’t backing off her criticism of Raw XXX and the limited amount of time it spent honoring women’s contributions to 30 years of WWE’s Monday night franchise.

Along with sister Brie, “No filter Nikki” discussed the issue on the latest episode of the Tamron Hall Show. The Hall of Famers were booked on the show to discuss their new WWE-produced reality series on E!, Nikki Bella Says I Do.

Nikki: What anyone does, when you have love and passion for something, and you put your heart and your soul in it, you want to be appreciated. And I think that’s in any industry. For us female wrestlers, it was Raw XXX, the 30th anniversary. Throughout those 30 years, women have done a whole lot to make Raw what it is... so when you have a three hour show, and it’s male-dominated and women aren’t being honored pretty much at all, you just sit back and you’re like, ‘Why aren’t we being appreciated? Why don’t you even have a video package showcasing what all these incredible women have done?’

... It made me upset for all of the women. Because I know that feeling of walking out to the ring — and it happens to some of the men, but — where you walk out, and put your body on the line, and you give it your all just to entertain the fans, and the TV viewers. And you just come back, and you want to feel appreciated for that. Some of us have had career-ending injuries. We shouldn’t go away. And even if, I feel, if a wrestler even leaves the company, or they’re no longer there, it doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be remembered...

I just wished and I hoped that — and maybe that will be more in the future and we still have a way to go — but that women will finally be appreciated for what they do.

Brie: I think the biggest thing is that, what the women are doing today at WWE is amazing. The present-day women wrestlers are doing incredible things, but it took so many women from the past to pave that road. And it’s okay to say ‘thank you’ and recognize that.

... we come from passion for women, not from ourselves. The Bella Twins don’t have to be at Raw XXX. It’s all the other women — that we can give you a whole long list — that should have been there.

The Bellas clearly aren’t alone in these concerns. Mercedes Moné, whose work as Sasha Banks in WWE was raised by Nikki in the Instagram Live post that started this latest round of discussion on the topic, just raised the issue in an interview with her new employers.

But there’s also speculation these criticisms are being leveled now (and possibly with WWE’s blessing) to promote Nikki Bella Says I Do, and/or a surprise Royal Rumble entry by one or both of the twins this weekend.

Even if that’s true, however, it doesn’t mean the “queen of clickbait” is wrong.