Total Divas is an American reality television series that aired from July 28, 2013, to December 10, 2019, on E!. The series gave viewers an inside look into the lives of female WWE wrestlers from their work within WWE to their personal lives with the inclusion of behind the scenes footage. All nine seasons were later made available on WWE’s on-demand streaming service, WWE Network, until it’s closure in 2024.

Production

Development

In 2011, it was reported that WWE had released a survey to gauge interest in original content intended for the newly announced WWE Network. One of the prospective shows would be a reality show that followed the lives of six WWE Divas on the road, all living on the same tour bus that would also feature a 24/7 webcam for fans to unlock via password.

In April 2013, an article on WWE.com stated: “WWE is contemplating a potential Divas reality show: it’s a new reality series following the life and times of eight WWE Divas that lets viewer into the Divas Locker room, behind the scenes on the road, and inside the personal lives of some of the most glitzy, gritty and glamorous celebrities in all of entertainment. Fans were also asked for vote in a poll to help determine a name, with the six options including: WWE Divas Road Trip, Hot Wheels, Heels on Wheels. The latter title, Heels on Wheels, was trademarked by WWE in 2011, and according to a 2019 interview with former WWE writer Brian Mann, was the original title for the series.

Total Divas was revealed later in 2013, as a part of a partnership with E! and Bunim /Murray. The cast for the newly series consisted of The Bella Twins ( Brie Bella and Nikki Bella). Naomi, Cameron, Natalya, Eva Marie, and JoJo. It was announced on August 14, 2013 that E! had ordered an additional six episodes to the already eight episode first season, bringing the total episode number up to fourteen episodes. The mid-season finale aired on September 15, 2013, with the season continuing on November 20, 2013. WWE commentator Josh Matthews revealed on November 20, 2013, that Total Divas had been renewed second season. The second season premiered on March 16, 2014.

On May 19, E! announced that the third season of Total Divas would premiere on September 7, 2014. On February 24, 2015, Paige announced Total Divas was renewed for a fourth season, with filming commencing at the end of the month. It was then announced at the end of season three, that the fourth season via a press release. After the September 22 episode of Total Divas aired, it was announced that the following week’s episode would serve as the season finale, rather than a mid-season finale.

Season 5 was announced on October 6, 2015, and premiered on January 19, 2016. Season 6 was officially confirmed on April 18, 2016, by the E! Network with a fall premiere date. Additionally, the E! Network announced that Brie and Nikki would be getting their own spin-off, also a fall premiere date, titled Total Bellas.

On January 28, 2017, it was announced that Nikki Bella would serve as an executive producer of the show when the series returned in April 2017. On September 20, 2017, E! revealed that the seventh season will premiere on November 1, 2017. On May 7, 2018, E! and WWE announced that Total Divas had been renewed for it’s eighth and ninth seasons. Season 8 premiered on September 19, 2018.

In June 2021, Essentially Sports reported that the E! quietly cancelled Total Divas and it’s sister show Total Bellas, citing low ratings and a lack of interest from those involved.

Cast

In a 2021 interview, Cameron claimed that Vince McMahon handpicked the cast of the first season of Total Divas, which consisted of The Bella Twins (Brie Bella and Nikki Bella), Naomi, Cameron, Natalya, Eva Marie, and JoJo. TJ Wilson, husband of Natalya, stated in 2023 that she was almost not part of the cast for the first season due to concerns over her traditional wrestling background. However it was McMahon who decided that her background would be helpful for the audience, and thus casting her on the show. Eve Torres stated in a 2016 interview with WWE’s Where Are They Now? web series that Triple H had offered her a role on the cast of Total Divas ahead of its first season, with her upcoming WWE departure being featured as a possible storyline. However, she declined the offer due to personal reasons.

Eva Marie revealed that after being signed to WWE following a 2013 WWE Diva Search that was not televised, she was asked to audition for the show that was still in development. Within 72 hours of auditioning, Marie was cast and sent to Wrestlemania 39 to begin filming. Fellow rookie JoJo was cast in the first season at the age of 19, leaving the show after the first season, being replaced by Summer Rae in the second. During a 2017 Q&A to promote her book, Crazy Is My Superpower, AJ Lee revealed that she had declined an offer to replaced JoJo and joined the cast for the second season, objecting to the idea of presenting an inauthentic version of herself after being offered multiple storylines to choose from.

During the third season premiere, Rosa Mendes joined the cast, and joined by Paige and Alicia Fox following the mid-season break. Naomi and Summer Rae also left the cast during the second half of the season, with the former tweeting that it was not her decision. Naomi returned to the cast during the fourth season, whereas Mendes and Cameron departed the series. However, Naomi left once again during its fifth season, with Mendes returning and WWE Tough Enough runner-up Mandy Rose joining the cast for the first time.

The sixth season featured three departures in Alicia Fox, Mandy Rose and Rosa Mendes, with the trio being replaced by newcomers Renee Young, Lana, and Maryse. On June 9, 2017, it was reported that Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax would be joining the seventh season of Total Divas. On June 10, 2017, Renee Young confirmed via Twitter that she would not be returning. On June 29, 2017, it was reported that Carmella would be joining the cast and that Paige had departed the show for the final time.

On May 15, 2018, it was announced that Carmella would not be returning for the show’s eighth season. It was later revealed that Paige and Lana were also leaving the show. Lana later revealed in a 2019 interview that she was removed from the show because her storylines were “hated” by the E! demo following market research. In April 2019, Brie and Nikki Bella announced that they would not be returning for the ninth season of Total Divas, stating that they wanted to focus soley on Total Bellas. On August 26, 2019, it was revealed that Naomi, Natalya, and Nia Jax were set to return for season nine alongside Carmella, who was announced to be returning as a series regular, and new cast members Ronda Rousey and Sonya Deville. Additionally, Brie and Nikki Bella were reported to continue making guest appearances throughout the season. The ninth season premiered on October 1, 2019.

Cast overview

Season 1: Main Cast: Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Natalya, Naomi, Eva Marie, JoJo, and Cameron.

Season 1: Guest Cast: Alicia Fox.

Season 2: Main Cast: Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Natalya, Eva Marie, Naomi, Cameron, and Summer Rae

Season 2: Guest Cast: Rosa Mendes and Alicia Fox.

Season 3: Main Cast: Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Natalya, Naomi, Cameron, Paige, Eva Marie, Summer Rae, Rosa Mendes, and Alicia Fox.

Season 3: Guest Cast: JoJo

Season 4: Main Cast: Paige, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Natalya, Naomi, Eva Marie, and Alicia Fox.

Season 4: Guest Cast: JoJo.

Season 4: Recurring Cast: Cameron, Summer Rae, Renee Young, and Rosa Mendes.

Season 5: Main Cast: Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Natalya, Naomi, Mandy Rose, Paige, Alicia Fox, and Rosa Mendes

Season 5: Guest Cast: JoJo and Naomi.

Season 5: Recurring Cast: Summer Rae and Renee Young.

Season 6: Main Cast: Nikki Bella, Natalya, Brie Bella, Maryse, Lana, Naomi, Paige, Eva Marie, and Renee Young.

Season 6: Guest Cast: Rosa Mendes and JoJo.

Season 6: Recurring Cast: Alicia Fox and Summer Rae.

Season 7: Main Cast: Natalya, Alexa Bliss, Maryse, Lana, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Carmella, Nia Jax, and Naomi.

Season 7: Guest Cast: Renee Young, JoJo, and Alicia Fox.

Season 8: Main Cast: Lana, Nia Jax, Paige, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, and Naomi.

Season 8: Guest Cast: Sonya Deville, Ronda Rousey, Mandy Rose, Carmella, Alexa Bliss, Alicia Fox, JoJo, and Renee Young.

Season 9: Main Cast: Ronda Rousey, Sonya Deville, Naomi, Natalya, Nia Jax, and Carmella.

Season 9: Recurring Cast: Liv Morgan, Nikki Bella, and Brie Bella.

Season 9: Guest Cast: Mandy Rose, Renee Young, Alexa Bliss, Paige, and JoJo.

Cast notes

In season 3, Naomi and Summer Rae were credited as main cast members from 3x01 to 3x10.

In season 3, Alicia Fox and Paige were credited as main cast members from 3x11 to 3x20.

Episodes

Main articles: List of Total Divas episodes

Season 1: July 28, 2013 / October 15, 2013 / 14 episodes

Season 2: March 16, 2014 / June 1, 2014 / 11 episodes

Season 3: September 7, 2014 / March 8, 2015 / 20 episodes

Season 4: July 7, 2015 / September 29, 2015 / 13 episodes

Season 5: January 19, 2016 / April 19, 2016 / 14 episodes

Season 6: November 16, 2016 / May 10, 2017 / 16 episodes

Season 7: November 1, 2017 / January 31, 2018 / 12 episodes

Season 8: September 19, 2018 / November 28, 2018 / 10 episodes

Season 9: October 1, 2019 / December 10, 2019 / 10 episodes