Original subtitles

- In WWE, when you can blur

the lines between reality and fiction

is when the product, I feel, is the best.

[all shouting]

- When I was born, this place became mine.

And I do own you! [crowd booing]

- Stephanie is just like the ultimate daddy's little girl,

billion-dollar princess.

She's a villain.

- I love you.

- Brie and Daniel Bryan were always fighting

for what was right and what was good.

You really had good versus bad.

- You surrender the championship,

or I take action against your wife

and make sure that she is...

fired!

- It was personal.

It was something that has to do with each other's families,

people's actual livelihood.

- What's that word that I'm looking for?

- Bitch. [crowd cheering]

- Ooh. - Oh.

- Seeing Brie Bella put her hands on Stephanie,

it was jaw-dropping.

[crowd yelling]

- Stephanie and Brie's story, it was natural,

organic, and it was real life.

- You got to be kidding me.

- Women at the time, no matter how hard they worked,

it didn't seem like they could get above a certain spot.

- Oh!

- This whole storyline was a jumping-off point...

- You're mine!

- For what women could be capable of in WWE.

- I want a match at SummerSlam

against you.

- I think this is the biggest

women's match in WWE in a long time.

- I was incredibly nervous.

It had been over ten years since I had been in the ring.

- I know now that the women are feeling

what I felt in that story.

And that makes me happy, because the women deserve that.

- Here we go.

♪ ♪

- This rivalry has just escalated into a war!

- When two legends collide...

their rivalry stays pinned in our minds forever.

♪ ♪

This is where we break down the legendary stories

behind the greatest rivalries of all time.

♪ ♪

I'm Freddie Prinze Jr....

and this is "WWE Rivals."

♪ ♪

Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella--

this storyline came together

putting employee against boss.

- This, to me, was a natural evolution of women.

I think it was a milestone for them

to have this storyline, such high profile.

- I love this rivalry because I was fortunate enough

to come up with Brie and Nicole.

Their work ethic is, is really unmatched.

And I got to see that, like, firsthand.

[crowd cheering] - Brie Bella is undefeated,

and I think it has something to do with her

going underneath the ring.

What the-- - That was quick now--

- You think?

- Wait a minute. - Look at this.

- They're twins.

They're identical twins, JR, twins.

[crowd yelling]

- No one expected Brie to be able to have

that, like, aggressive side,

you know, and she got a chance to show that.

And, of course, you have to have the antihero

to be able to lift you up to that level,

and Stephanie McMahon plays that role to a T.

- She is her father's daughter.

That is a fact. - Oh, yeah.

- Yeah.

- She is definitely her father's daughter.

This is her baby.

There's nobody that's going to step to that,

and that's what Steph brings.

She got that oomph to her.

- That's it, Steph.

It's okay, come on down.

- WWE is all surreal to me.

It's like a live action-adventure soap opera.

That's when it's just so awesome.

I never really fathomed that I would be a character

on our show.

- I'm not such a bad guy.

I can be a really nice guy, right?

Steph is one of the most natural performers

and most naturally emotional characters

I believe we've ever had.

It's in her genes.

- Okay, we will have audio, but it won't bleed through

'cause the commentators will be talking over it

unless you hear her say something cute.

[laughter]

- Steph was very young and new to the business

and didn't necessarily know how to be the bad guy,

or so I thought.

- Don't you do that!

You son of a bitch!

Don't you hit her!

- What's he doing? - Don't you hit her!

Damn it! He's going to hit Stephanie.

- Come on! [crowd yelling]

- What? What the--

- What? - Hey, what is this?

For the love of God!

- What?

- In WWE's Attitude Era,

you didn't see women in positions of power.

So, when Stephanie McMahon took on that power,

it was something that we, as fans,

hadn't really seen before.

- You know, it's so crazy,

because I'll never forget the Attitude Era.

And I'll actually never forget my mom's like,

"You can't watch that."

- And now Sable's gonna strip Luna!

- So it's actually interesting because my sister

and I were Hooters girls.

And once a month, they showed a WWE pay-per-view.

I really would stand there and watch.

♪ ♪

I just remember, like, okay, this is different

than what I remember.

- I salute this Trish. Look at Trish.

- Go, Trish, go!

- The girls are doing matches and kicking ass.

♪ ♪

2006, I'll never forget, someone was talking,

like, "They're looking for women wrestlers."

And I'm like, "Wait. They're, like, looking

for, like, women to get in the ring and wrestle?"

all: WWE Diva Search!

[cheering]

- Do you have, like, a talent or a skill?

- Well, I was a competitive soccer player,

so I can rock the soccer field.

I'm extremely athletic, so any sport,

you just give me a couple days, and I'm pretty much a pro at.

And then when I went in again, I was like, "Hey, you know,

"I do have a secret.

I'm an identical twin."

- No, oh, we both did the same thing.

- Did we? It's a twin thing.

- Two months later, we flew down

to WWE's developmental system.

- Nicole and Brie Bella-- the Bella Twins!

[crowd cheering]

- And I was like, "This is what I'm meant to do."

[crowd yelling]

- They came into the wrestling industry

not knowing a lick about wrestling.

They didn't know anything about wrestling.

But they had an incredible work ethic.

- Brie and Nikki Bella, identical twins.

- The Bellas' debut on TV

and kept on climbing the ladder.

- They lean in to the twin stuff.

That's a rarity, and that's something

that WWE hadn't really had at that time,

especially for women.

- Did you see the switch? - I did.

- The Bellas have pulled off twin magic.

- And the Bella Twins have become number one

on the most disliked diva list.

- See, what was going on in my personal life for the 2000s?

[laughter]

[applause]

I got married and had three kids.

[laughs]

♪ ♪

And I would fly into TV,

because even when I wasn't on camera,

I was still behind the scenes.

I was helping, you know, direct and produce

and write some of the shows.

We'd be on the road, and I had a Pack N Play

that I would set up next to my bed on the bus.

And I can install and uninstall

a car seat like nobody's business.

I have plenty of experience being a working mom

and juggling multiple things.

- When I was 24 years old,

anyone who was a higher up,

anyone who worked in the office, had a suit on,

I was intimidated by.

Like, it was scary.

So I'll never forget the first time I met Stephanie.

- Hello, New York City.

- I was, like, shaking inside.

Like, "Hi."

I didn't know if I call her, like, Miss McMahon

or Miss Stephanie.

I was very intimidated by her because of the way she spoke.

- It is truly an honor and a privilege

to be a part of WrestleMania.

- She spoke with big words and very educated.

And I was a college dropout, and sports were my life.

It was just a lot, a lot for a 24-year-old.

[chuckles]

- I don't remember the first time I met the Bella Twins,

but I remember the first real conversation with them.

I was really impressed with how they thought,

how they thought about their own brand,

you know, how that gave them an advantage

when it came to endorsements or television shows.

- ♪ Ain't gonna stop me now ♪

[bell dings]

- I am Nikki Bella. - I'm Brie Bella.

both: And we're the Bella Twins.

- One of the elements that helped bring the Bellas

to the forefront and put them in such a prominent position

was a power of Hollywood.

The Divas had a show which brought a lot of new eyeballs

to the women's division in WWE.

- It was good to have it at the time

when we're trying to have this women's evolution.

- You see these girls on the road, man.

They had 29 bags. - Yeah.

- They were pulling in. - They were the Divas.

- Yeah, I mean-- - They're straight divas.

- It was absolutely amazing. - A million outfits.

You have to. [laughs]

- It also gives people an insight,

being that the women were not getting

that much time on TV and people wanted to get to know them.

Now I can go and watch "Total Divas"

and really get to know you and know you outside of the ring.

- And that makes people care about them.

Those girls, man, they knocked it out of the park.

- Oh, yeah.

- I live with my boyfriend.

His TV name is Daniel Bryan,

but his real name's Bryan Danielson.

It's really funny because Bryan and I actually

didn't really care for each other at first,

until we were in a storyline together.

I really got to know him.

♪ ♪

I'll never forget, my sister and I were driving

after one of the wrestling shows.

Holy moly.

- I feel like I need another scarf.

- And I was like, "Nicole."

And she's like, "What?"

I'm like, "I have a crush on Bryan."

And I thought my sister was going to slam the brakes.

She's like, "What?

Like. Daniel Bryan?"

And I'm like, "Yes."

We just knew we wanted to start dating each other.

- I don't believe there's a superstar today

that is as hot as Daniel Bryan.

- Bryan is one of the best wrestlers in the world,

and he's so badass.

But when you get to know him, you fall in love with him,

because he is, like, the guy

that you want your sister to marry.

- I love you.

Oh, there she goes.

- It was fun to be so close to Bryan at that time.

- It doesn't matter what you think.

It matters what they think.

[crowd cheering]

all: [chanting] Yes! Yes! Yes!

- This thing called the Yes Movement--

Daniel Bryan leading this charge

of the antiestablishment, power to the people.

all: [chanting] Yes! Yes! Yes!

- It was incredible to just see the WWE Universe

take over with the "yes" chants

and the "Daniel Bryan" chants.

And it was crazy.

It gives me goose bumps thinking about it.

- And the Daniel Bryan Yes Movement

is winning over the entire world.

all: [chanting] Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

- We are going to be here all night!

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

- In 2013, Paul and I came back as The Authority.

Point of interest was preventing Daniel Bryan

from getting anywhere near the WWE championship at that time

because we didn't want him to be the face of the WWE brand.

I mean, what kind of face is that?

When I was born, this place became mine,

and I do own you!

Get out!

I said "get out!"

- You spit in the face of my family,

and you will suffer the consequences.

Officers, arrest that man!

- Stephanie McMahon,

when she debuted, as we all know, was sweet,

and she was innocent.

And her evolution literally became

the female Vince McMahon.

- First red door on the right.

Thank you very much.

[crowd shouting]

- Going to really arrest Daniel Bryan?

- She does it so perfect.

She pierces you through the heart when she's talking,

and she's looking at you, and she's right in your face.

- What are you doing?

- The McMahons as authority figures

were the bad bosses.

- Oh, man, come on.

- When you're the boss or the boss's daughter,

you have influence.

That's how the audience saw it.

And I think that's why the McMahon family,

they always just made such good antagonists,

whether it was a rivalry against Steve Austin

or a rivalry against Daniel Bryan.

- I'm really looking forward to doing this myself.

- You could fire people, and you can hire people,

and you could make people's dreams come true,

and you could break people's hearts.

- Yes!

- At every single stop, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon

tried to stop Daniel Bryan's success.

- We're not going to allow this so-called Yes Movement

to create a false leader.

[crowd shouting]

- It was the audience in a very real way

telling the WWE,

"This is the superstar

that we want to see representing this company."

♪ ♪

- Out of the corner, no! No! No! No!

- Can Daniel Bryan do it? Can he do it? Yes!

- Oh, my God! [bell dings]

- Daniel Bryan had to go through Triple H

at WrestleMania XXX to get to the main event

where he was successful.

- He did it!

- He did it! He did it! Daniel Bryan did it!

- You got to be kidding me!

- That WrestleMania will always be so memorable to me

because Bryan main-eventing, winning.

[indistinct chatter]

And then right after, they had to then

get ready for their wedding in Sedona, Arizona.

- I love you.

♪ ♪

- Bryan, you may kiss your bride.

[cheers and applause]

♪ ♪

- Whoo!

Bryan and I got married April 11.

all: [chanting] Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

- And then that Sunday we left for our honeymoon.

So we went to Hawaii for a week,

and I'll never forget Bryan's arms,

like, especially one of his arms,

started to feel a little numb.

You have a lot of body pain, right?

You feel like it comes with the business.

But this was, like, a different level of pain.

- We're on our honeymoon,

and I've also got this horrible nerve pain

shooting down my arm, to where I'm barely sleeping.

They kind of decide shortly after that

that I need to have neck surgery.

- Spread your fingers real hard like that...

- Okay. - Real hard.

- He's going to be out six to eight weeks,

but then they realize like,

"Hey, this isn't getting better."

And so they were like,

"Okay, well, this naturally transitions

into something with Brie and Stephanie."

- I mean, I think there was always that option,

that opportunity.

I was with Triple H. Brie was with Daniel Bryan.

It seemed like a natural place to go.

- I was with Bryan mentally.

I wasn't actually thinking about work,

and I'll never forget when I got the phone call,

and they're like, "Hey, Brie, we want you

to start a story with Stephanie and keep this movement going."

And I was like, "[bleep].

"This is a huge opportunity. Like...give me five minutes.

Like, give me maybe ten.:

The pressure was really intense.

And I was like, "Let's do it."

And, "I'm going to do this for Bryan."

- Daniel Bryan wasn't able to wrestle

because of a real-life injury.

To write him off,

he was attacked by Kane on television.

Stephanie McMahon is coming to console Brie Bella.

- I don't know what to say.

- Stay away!

♪ ♪

- The best WWE storylines are when reality

and fiction mix together.

And that's what happened with Brie Bella

getting involved with The Authority.

- We love kind of getting a peek

into what's happening behind the curtain.

And that's what they did.

♪ ♪

- The way they went about it

was really a smart way

to use what was really happening.

See, we told you, he wins the championship,

and he can't even hold on to it

because his body isn't meant to do this.

- You know that these people deserve an active champion,

and, Daniel, you just can't give it to them right now.

[crowd shouting]

So, at the end of the day, my family and I have to do

what's best for business.

I think what's best for business

is such a good catchphrase

because it could be complete bull[bleep].

My character would talk down to the audience like,

"Look, I don't expect you people

"to understand what true business principles are.

"You're just laypeople. You're working-class folk.

It's above your pay grade. You're not educated like I am."

You know, I mean, the whole thing is just so offensive.

This Sunday at the Payback pay-per-view,

you decide...

if you surrender

the WWE World Heavyweight Championship...

or if I take action

against your wife

and make sure that she is...

fired!

- You are looking live

at the sold-out Allstate Arena in Chicago,

as we welcome you to Payback.

- So Payback was [bleep] crazy.

I'm just going to say, it's one of those days

where I was like, "Is this how it is?"

I'm like, "So, Bryan, let me get this straight.

"Tonight we're planting the seeds for the story.

You're about to quit. I won't let you."

♪ ♪

[crowd cheering]

I looked at Bryan, and he goes, "Just go with it, Brie."

And I was like...

"I'm going to, like, faint."

I was like, "[bleep], just go with it.

That's what I have to do."

- Daniel Bryan needs to do the right thing

for the global WWE Universe

and surrender that championship.

♪ ♪

- Are you going to show your future children

that you did the right thing for these people

and your wife?

Or are you going to be selfish?

- In WWE, when you can blur the lines

between reality and fiction

is when the product, I feel, is the best.

- You want to talk about our potential children?

♪ ♪

I hope your children are watching this right now

so they can see that their mother

is nothing but a narcissistic, self-centered...

[crowd shouting]

What--what's that-- what's that word

that I'm looking for?

- Bitch!

[crowd cheering]

♪ ♪

- It was personal.

It was something that had to do with each other's families

and, like, people's actual livelihood.

It's kind of the best part about these rivalries.

- Actually, I refuse to be a powerless victim.

You can't fire me.

I quit!

[crowd cheering]

♪ ♪

- Ooh! - Oh!

[crowd cheering]

- Oh!

Oh, my God!

- It had been ten years

since Stephanie McMahon was involved

in any kind of physical match.

So seeing Brie Bella put her hands on Stephanie,

it was jaw-dropping.

[crowd cheering]

- My God.

- When you think of real life, right?

Like, if something happens to your husband, like,

the wife is there to, like, pick up the pieces

and vice versa.

And so seeing the beginning of the Stephanie and Brie story

was so awesome because it was natural, organic,

and it was real life.

- She's a McMahon.

She's not going to take that laying down.

She's the boss's daughter, and she's your boss.

- Well, there's been no doubt that Nikki Bella

has been suffering for her sister's sins.

- There was only one other person

to take it out on, and that was Nikki.

- Of course, you got to wonder whether or not The Authority

is behind the stipulation for this match tonight.

- Basically, trying to send a message to Brie

through her sister Nikki.

- Nikki's defenseless.

She's got one arm behind her back.

- You think you've got one up on me?

Well, too bad. Your sister's still here.

Why don't you watch what I'm going to do to her?

- Nikki Bella has been put through her own personal hell

over the past number of weeks.

And tonight she faces a four-on-one handicap match.

- That was, like, one of my favorite times

of my whole career

because I got to show who I was as an individual

and Brie got to show who she was as an individual.

- Hey, look-it, it's Brie!

It's Nikki's sister, Brie.

- There was so much emotion in this story,

and the fans were so invested

that we had to put everything into it.

- That's got to make Nikki feel a lot better.

- ♪ Style and grace, I'm never gonna be done ♪

- Or maybe not.

- ♪ Now welcome to the queendom ♪

- ♪ The queendom where the kings bow down ♪

♪ They relinquish the crown ♪

[dramatic music]

- Security...

eject this woman.

Oh, that's cute. That's cute.

You're a paying customer. You have a ticket.

- What kind of human being are you, huh?

I'll tell you who you are!

You are a vindictive bitch!

[crowd cheering]

- Oh! - Oh! Wow.

[indistinct shouting]

- When somebody slaps you, there's no faking it.

It's real, and it hurts.

And so, when we saw Brie get slapped by Stephanie,

we were like, "Oh, my God, it's on."

And it gave them that momentum that they needed.

- What I want to focus on is the Stephanie McMahon slap.

- Definitely wasn't-- nothing fake in that.

- No, there was no gentleness.

[crowd groans]

- You going to cry like a baby, huh?

- It's a legit mother-effing slap.

[laughter]

I mean, this woman's putting some power behind that stuff.

And it is. It's a legit slap.

[crowd cheering]

♪ ♪

- She got long arms, so it's like a buggy whip.

She sort of did them, or started doing the slap,

at a time in the business where the people

that we were all teaching her how to do them

were, like, teaching her

to, like, really slap the [bleep] out of people.

And...

she mostly does.

- Whoo!

[crowd shouts]

- There's no psychology to the slap--I mean, zero.

It's just became this tough-guy thing in wrestling,

like, hey, we're going to have somebody

slap the living [bleep] out of you

and hit you as hard as they can.

And you're going to grin and bear it.

This, to me, was Vince versus Stone Cold,

Stephanie versus Brie.

- This situation--the whole crowd kind of went...[gasps]

- Get her out of here. She's pathetic.

♪ ♪

Loser!

♪ ♪

[indistinct chatter] - Wait, wait.

[crowd yelling]

♪ ♪

- You're cuffing me!

♪ ♪

- I really felt like the fans,

when that happened,

they were starting to be very invested in the story,

and that they really were like, "Okay.

Like, this is going somewhere, and I want to see it."

[indistinct shouting]

♪ ♪

- You're going to pay!

- Everything you did to Daniel, Nikki,

you deserve it!

- Stephanie's breaking the law, getting arrested.

Brie's also getting arrested,

getting kicked out of the arena.

These women are wanting to fight.

We're wanting to see them fight.

- You're going to pay for this! You know that?

I'll have your badge! Both your badges!

The more upset I was, the more satisfying

it was to the audience

that I was getting mine.

- Steph, relax. - Hunter, I'm scared to death.

I don't want to go to jail.

- I know. Relax. I'm going to get you out.

- Where else do you get, you know, taken out of an arena

with people chanting and cheering for you to go?

I blame Brie Bella!

- Let me just tell you--

you guys had better be sure of this.

- Sir-- - I will be right behind you.

[siren chirps] I will be right behind you.

[siren chirping] Don't worry about it.

[crowd cheering]

- You have to put it in perspective

of where women were at the time versus where they are now.

Women at the time, no matter how hard they worked,

it didn't seem like they could get above a certain spot.

- It just wasn't fair, right,

in a lot of different ways, when it came to the regard

for men's matches versus women's matches.

If the show was to go heavy,

time would need to be cut from a match.

The first match that was on the cutting block

was the girls' match, every single time.

- When are you guys going out?

You guys were supposed to be up before this.

- Never. We got cut.

Match before us took all the time.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- I was in that era, too, and then you talk about that.

Like, you go out there. We have matches.

You got five minutes.

You get out there, it's like, ding, ding, ding.

You got 30 seconds. Go home.

30 seconds. Go home.

How do we tell the story?

We got four other girls on the outside.

You know, this is how it is.

- Brie and Stephanie close shows.

They were, like, main-eventing "Raw," which you didn't see,

and it was compelling television.

- Well, Stephanie has invited Brie to "Raw."

Will Stephanie be able to clear the air with Brie

and put this situation behind her?

♪ ♪

- I asked you here

because I would like to ask you to drop all charges.

- As long as you agree to all of my demands.

I want my job back.

[crowd cheering]

I felt like I learned the business a lot

in this storyline, just being in a main-event story.

I never had been.

- If I agree to give you your job back,

you'll agree to drop all charges against me?

Awesome. Done deal.

- Oh, wait. There's, um, just one more thing I want.

♪ ♪

I want a match at SummerSlam...

[crowd cheering]

Against you.

[crowd cheering]

♪ ♪

- We needed, every week,

to put fuel on top of my fire going on to fight the boss

and to risk everything.

And so just learning these little things,

I was like, "Wow, this is what it takes to be at the top.

And I like it."

all: [chanting] Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

- [crying] Okay, yes, yes.

Fine, you can have your match at SummerSlam,

but, Brie...

you have to consider that at SummerSlam--

[crowd booing]

Let's just say I knocked her block off.

And I said, "I'm going to make you my"...

Bitch! [crowd booing]

Yes! Yes!

♪ ♪

Crowd became so loud.

all: [chanting] Yes! Yes! Yes!

- I did not just call her a bitch.

"You're going to be my bitch."

♪ ♪

- Look out! Look out! Look out!

Brie and Stephanie! Brie and Stephanie!

- This got out of hand fast!

Some help!

♪ ♪

- You're mine! You're mine!

♪ ♪

- This could get really out of hand.

We are hopefully about to experience

the contract signing

between Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella

for their match at SummerSlam.

- So contract signings

in professional wrestling, to me,

have always been the equivalent of the faceoff

for boxing or MMA.

- When you have a contract signing,

people know, "Okay, this is a bigger match

"than everything else that we've seen

for the last several months."

- Brie, I am a fourth-generation McMahon.

[crowd shouting]

I don't even think you understand what that means.

I mean, and what are you?

Who are you, Brie?

You're nothing.

- That rivalry was such a highlight

of good versus bad.

That's when the best rivalries happen--

when the audience can clearly know who to cheer for

and they clearly know who to boo.

And the audience always knows--

you got to boo Stephanie McMahon.

- You are nothing more than a wannabe reality star

who abandoned her injured husband

just to make a name off of me at SummerSlam.

I could feel the crowd, like, "Oh..."

♪ ♪

Because they cared so much about Brie.

You know, they have to care.

If they don't care about the characters,

then the story doesn't work.

- Oh, my God! [crowd booing]

- Wait, wait, wait a minute.

Stephanie with Nikki Bella now.

[indistinct shouting]

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

- It was inspiring to see how hard she worked at it.

It was inspiring to see how much effort and energy

she put into it.

- Get it. Get it. - [grunts]

- The last thing that Steph would ever want to do

is be put in a position that she couldn't deliver

or that she would let the business down

or that she would embarrass the legacy.

Believe me, when you don't do this all the time,

it's not easy.

- Three, two, one, time.

♪ ♪

- You can slap Stephanie Sunday at SummerSlam.

- Oh, you have no idea. I'm going to take it to her.

- Brie had so many eyes on her.

It just wasn't the WWE Universe.

She had mainstream watching.

So many people were so invested in the story

that she wanted to deliver.

- Here we go.

That's one...two.

- I had to make sure that I was up there with The Authority.

♪ ♪

If I slack or I don't show up

and give 110%,

it's all on me is what I felt.

♪ ♪

- Brie Bella gets to have this top-shelf story

and get treated like a top-shelf talent.

♪ ♪

And I don't know how many times women had gotten

to feel that kind of empowerment in this business

before that moment.

- Brie.

- I was by her side the whole day.

"What do you need? I'll help you out."

I knew my sister was going to do great,

but, damn, I don't think I've ever seen her that nervous.

- Okay, quiet, please! - Quiet!

- This is the biggest women's match in WWE

in a long time.

There hadn't been a match that had gotten this much billed

on a pay-per-view,

and especially a big pay-per-view like SummerSlam,

in years and years.

- So Bryan flew in.

He was like, "I am not missing this."

- What I remember is feeling so proud of Brie.

I told Brie this. I said, "Don't be afraid."

And I think, you know, in the moment,

Brie wasn't afraid at all.

- I was like, "Okay, breathe, breathe."

And Steph was the same.

We just want to impress the audience so much,

and we want everyone to always walk away

from a match being like, "That was really, really great."

- I need you two powerful women to be powerful out there

and do what you need to do, make that magic and bring it.

So, this way, it can give us all a chance to succeed

and the younger ones that come after us.

I feel grateful for the fact that somebody actually said,

"Okay, we're going to give you girls this chance.

I need you two to blow it out of the water."

♪ ♪

- Welcome

to the 27th Annual SummerSlam.

♪ ♪

- There was a lot of weight on their shoulders.

You can't forget how important this match actually was,

and I don't think that even, like,

at the time, we even really knew,

'cause we didn't know where it was going to go.

[bell dings]

- The following the contest is set for one fall.

Approaching the ring, one of the principal owners

of WWE,

Stephanie McMahon.

♪ ♪

- I was incredibly nervous.

It had been over ten years since I had been in the ring,

and not like I was some great wrestler before that.

Here I was, going to have a match with Brie Bella

at SummerSlam in one of the biggest storylines

that we had had.

- Have you ever seen Stephanie McMahon

look like that before in your life?

Wow.

- She's like a superhero.

- So there were a lot of eyes.

There's was a lot of interest in our match.

- I think Stephanie's ready.

- I remember being at that SummerSlam

in the building and there just being this huge buzz.

What's this match going to look like?

When you build up a match the way this match was built up,

you have to deliver.

- ♪ You can look, but you can't touch ♪

♪ You keep dreaming on the stars above ♪

- I will never forget that night.

It's actually funny, 'cause I'll never forget

Ronda Rousey and all the Force women--

Shayna, all of them in the front.

They we're cheering for Steph, by the way.

They were so loud.

[all cheering]

And working with Steph, who was born into this business,

I was like, "How do we have a [bleep] match?

Like, you just can't.

There's too many beautiful things going on right now."

♪ ♪

[crowd cheering]

[bell dings] - Here we go.

Stephanie and Brie starting things off here tonight.

Stephanie hasn't been in the ring in a match

in over a decade.

♪ ♪

- It wasn't so much about moves.

It was more about storytelling.

And I think sometimes when women get a chance

to have a really great story, they could do so much more

than just do pretty moves.

♪ ♪

- Another arm drag.

- Both of them showed off a lot of athleticism,

but they had such a great story.

You knew Stephanie was bad. You knew Brie was good.

And Stephanie really knows how to be bitch.

♪ ♪

- Whoa, look at that. - Wow.

- Oh, and a DDT planting Brie Bella.

Ah, went to slap--Brie! Caught Stephanie.

- Oh, no.

- Brie Mode! [crowd cheering]

- Whoa! Incoming!

[crowd cheering]

- This is a drop kick to Stephanie!

- Hey, hey, hey, look at this!

- Brie going for the Yes Lock. Going for the Yes Lock here!

- Stephanie scrambling out of there--she better.

- That, of course, the submission maneuver used

by her husband, Daniel Bryan.

♪ ♪

- Oh, man!

- Oh, and Stephanie clobbered Brie!

♪ ♪

- My three little girls were out there,

and they were ringside.

And I was so proud to be able

to actually wrestle in front of them.

♪ ♪

They got to see Daddy wrestle all the time,

and they really didn't know that I had ever wrestled

in the ring.

- Stephanie, a former women's champion.

- Stephanie the far more powerful of the two.

- Oh, yeah, and she's displaying that here.

♪ ♪

- And during the match,

the crowd actually started to chant...

Which, you know, was really surprising to me, actually,

when they started to chant that.

- Oh, and Brie-- that press on Stephanie!

And Brie unloading!

- Brie is just like her husband.

She just won't quit.

- You can't blame Brie-- all this emotion.

all: [chanting] Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

- Oh, boy. - [shouting]

- Looks like Brie's fired up now.

♪ ♪

- Oh!

Oh, Brie's got to be loving this.

Hey!

The COO of this company, Triple H,

and there's Nikki.

[crowd cheering]

Guess what! Stephanie's going to tap out!

♪ ♪

- Hey. - You got to be kidding me!

♪ ♪

- Oh! - Triple H is down!

- What? - Triple H is down!

- Yes! Yes!

all: [chanting] Yes!

- It was awesome to bring the house down.

I felt that I was needed.

I felt that my presence meant something.

For me, it was like, "Wow, I'm feeling like one of the boys."

It was almost like an abnormal feeling for a woman

to feel that.

- And now look at Nikki! Look at Nikki!

♪ ♪

Stephanie's got nowhere to go!

Aw, Stephanie's had this coming,

a long time coming for the Bellas.

This is two on one.

[crowd cheering]

♪ ♪

Oh, that's her own sister!

[crowd cheering]

Nikki just knocked out her sister!

- Oh, that's her own sister!

[dramatic music]

- Most of the time, I'm not standing.

But this particular match, I stood tall,

because, of course, I got Nikki Bella in my pocket.

[chuckles]

- I remember waiting for that perfect moment.

I just gave her, like, an MMA forearm, like, so hard

because I wanted it to be so good

and I was, like, feeling the crowd.

Poor Brie.

Deep down inside, I was like,

"Holy [bleep], Brie. I'm so sorry.

I just nailed you so hard."

[crowd cheering]

- Oh!

- I don't know what it is about our industry,

but when you have that surprise heel turn, it is the best.

[crowd cheering] - Oh!

- What?

- You don't realize how excited you get.

I mean, sometimes it can feel better than sex.

You're just like, "This is amazing."

It's great.

- Oh, my God!

♪ ♪

What the hell just happened?

♪ ♪

- It was pretty epic.

♪ ♪

- What does every dog need?

Pedigree!

all: One, two, three!

[bell dings]

- Stephanie McMahon said

that she didn't want to embarrass Brie Bella,

but she was going to tonight.

And what a way to embarrass that young lady.

♪ ♪

- Stephanie's little girls-- their eyes,

they, like, looked up at Steph

like they were meeting Wonder Woman.

They could not believe that was their mom they just watched.

And I will never forget.

I was, like, in my head, like,

"Wow, one day I hope I have that.

Like, I hope I have my kids look up at me like that."

- All of a sudden,

I heard these three little voices chanting,

"You still got it."

And it was my three little girls.

And that was a pretty special moment.

♪ ♪

- You want them to have a mom that shows your girls

that they can do anything.

♪ ♪

I couldn't have been more proud.

- It was so special, because after our match,

we saw Vince.

Vince was like, "How does it feel to have

the match of the night?"

He's was like, "You killed it.

You both killed it."

And I think, too, that night,

we had all the women come up to us,

everyone, every single woman who was backstage,

and I'm talking from catering to writers

to the women wrestlers, everyone.

They all came up and just hugged us.

Like, they were so proud of us.

And you just walk away,

and you can't help but just have a big smile on your face.

- Them having that match

and then us being able to move from that

and then being able to be where we are today...

you know, it's not just about us.

It's about, hey, your daughter might come.

Your daughter might come. You know, you never know.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

♪ ♪

- Seeing Stephanie McMahon and Brie

capture the audience the way they did

proves that we can tell female-driven stories

that capture the attention of the entire audience.

This whole storyline was a jumping-off point

for what women could be capable of in WWE.

[crowd cheering]

♪ ♪

- This match did a lot for women's wrestling.

Are we standing on what they built today?

Or was this a part of the path where you get off

and you see it, but other women have done just as much?

- I think everything's a brick.

You know, everything's a brick that builds a foundation.

And I think this was a very important cornerstone brick

of what we see now within this division.

- If that match doesn't go well,

does the evolution keep happening?

Or is it like, "Ah, man, I told you they couldn't do it.

We're going to put them back in the same spot where they were."

So that was such an important match.

They had to deliver.

You look at the women on the roster now.

Some of the women are better than the men--

I'll say it--in the way that they tell their stories

and the talent that they have, you know what I'm saying?

Maybe none of that ever gets showcased

if this match and this rivalry doesn't deliver.

♪ ♪

- Up next is history.

For the first time ever, 30 women will compete

in a Royal Rumble match.

- You guys tore it up last night.

- Yeah.

[indistinct chatter]

♪ ♪

- I'm so proud of the Bellas for so many different reasons.

Nikki and Brie have believed in themselves

and their ability from the beginning.

And how cool is it to see it all come full circle

and to see them achieve,

I think, pretty much everything

they ever set out to do?

- Oh, my Lord! - Oh, my goodness!

- Nikki just eliminated her own sister!

- Stephanie's actually seen that happen.

- I have, up close and personal.

♪ ♪

- Boo! - [laughing]

It's crazy now that I'm a mom, especially to a daughter.

Everything you do, all you think about is,

how can I make it easier for the little ones?

♪ ♪

[children babbling happily]

And I wish I had more role models.

♪ ♪

I now know that I'm that person

for young girls.

Young girls are watching WWE,

going, "I can do that."

[crowd cheering] - Yes!

all: [chanting] Yes! Yes! Yes!

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

When people say you feel it,

like, you have a calling or you just know...

I knew.

My whole life is this world.

I couldn't imagine a different life.

I just couldn't.

♪ ♪

[laughter]

- My whole life is surreal. I've grown up in WWE.

My best friend was Andre the Giant growing up.

I mean, who gets to live this life?

I'm so grateful for it, actually having the chance

to perform in ring,

and then to do it in front of my three girls.

I'm so blessed,

and I can't wait to see what's going to happen next.

♪ ♪