Brie Bella Speaks Out on Short SmackDown Match, Cites Two-Hour Format as Factor

Brie Bella finally got the singles match she had been lobbying for — but left wishing she’d had more time to show what she could do with it.

Appearing on The Nikki and Brie Show, Brie opened up about her one-on-one bout against Lainey Reid on the July 3 edition of SmackDown, a match she said she had been pitching to WWE for quite some time. “I finally got a singles match,” she said. “I’ve been pitching a while to have a singles match. I’ve been wanting it forever.”

The excitement of landing the opportunity was tempered somewhat by how little time the match received — clocking in at under four minutes. Brie attributed the tight runtime to SmackDown’s return to a two-hour format, which has squeezed TV time for everyone on the roster. “When I heard the times, I was bummed, but also I understand,” she said. “SmackDown is back to two hours, so all of a sudden you’re back to fighting for TV time.”

Rather than let the frustration linger, Brie framed it as a challenge. “You can give me a hard time, and I’m gonna make something out of it,” she said, adding that she’s grateful for every chance she gets to compete.

Brie also touched on the personal satisfaction of performing at 42 years old alongside a younger roster. “Being back wrestling, I’m proud to be 42, gonna be 43 this year, keeping up with people that are much younger than me,” she said, pointing specifically to hitting a missile dropkick off the top rope as a point of pride. She acknowledged the physical recovery is harder than it was a decade ago but maintained she is competing at a high level. “I’m in there at my best cardio,” she said.

The comments paint a picture of a veteran finding her footing in a more time-compressed environment — determined to make an impact however many minutes she’s given.