Total Bellas Recap (10/19) : Daniel Bryan Battles Depression, Bellas Brother Ponders WWE Career

TOTAL BELLAS ON THE E NETWORK

SEASON 1 EPISODE #3 "Who's The Boss"

Here is the synopsis for this week's episode of Total Bellas.

Nicole is determined to help Bryan figure out his next steps after retirement; JJ feels under-appreciated and considers quitting his job at Kathy's company to pursue a career in wrestling.

The show opens with highlights from the first 2 episodes of the season. Featured is Daniel Bryan's retirement speech on Raw and that is followed by John Cena asking Bryan about his future plans after wrestling.

The episode begins at John Cena and Nicole Bella's home in Tampa, Florida. The Bellas are sitting together in the mansion. They are talking about Bryan's personality. Nikki says that the sisters are like firecrackers while Bryan is a dud. Brie takes exception to Nicole's description of her husband. Nicole tries to explain her analogy. Brie says that her husband is just laid back.

The next scene is Bryan in the house with John, Nikki and Kathy. He is looking at Cena's fish tank. Bryan says that the fish look very unhappy. John Cena jokes that this is the part where Bryan tells us how to live again... Bryan says that he is not trying to tell them how to live, that he thinks that the fish belong in a bigger tank. John says that Bryan probably believes that they would be better off in the ocean... Nikki points out that Bryan and John may have different philospohies but they are actually wearing the same exact t-shirts. They are in fact, wearing what looks to be some type of gray fitness shirt with the same logo. Kathy points out that John and Bryan look like the movie, Twins. Compares John to Arnold while Bryan is Danny DeVito. John calls out Nikki's mom and calls her comparison F'd up. How she just insulted Bryan. Bryan jokingly squats down like DeVito and does a funny walk next to John, to play into the joke. Mama Bella tries to backtrack from her remark but ends up making it worse.

After the show's opening credits and intro airs. We are now poolside at The Cena mansion with Bryan, Brie and their dog Josie. Brie has bought her dog gifts. Brie straps a floatie on Josie and puts her in the water with Bryan. Brie is then shown off screen talking about how busy her schedule has been of late. How WrestleMania in Dallas is approaching and how she doesn't have time to spend with her husband and dog. Brie says that she is going to be on the road for the next few weeks without her husband leading into Mania. How she is going to miss him. Brie talks about her bittersweet journey in the WWE and how it will all come to an end at WrestleMania.

We are now back in the house. Bryan, Nikki and Kathy are hanging out together. Nikki is trying to find her dog Winston. She locates him but finds that once again, He has eaten his own poop. Bryan offers to adopt Nikki's dog from her. Nikki admits that John is for that suggestion because of all the problems that Winston causes. Nikki gets a call from John Cena. After she ends the conversation with him. Nikki talks about John's upcoming schedule. How he is hosting the Today show twice during the week, as well as guesting on The Ellen Show and then her and John will be walking the red carpet at The American Idol finale show. Nikki calls all the promotional work, Their road to WrestleMania. She asks Bryan if he is scheduled to be a part of WrestleMania in any way. Bryan is demoralized and frustrated that he can't wrestle anymore or be a part of the biggest show of the year. How he has a hard time not being a part of the group.

The next scene shows Brie leaving The Cena home to go on the road. She is headed to be on a Raw show leading into her final match at WrestleMania. Brie says how she feels bad that Bryan is all alone at home, and will have to attend to Nikki by himself. As Brie leaves, Nikki runs out to kiss Brie goodbye and wish her good luck.... Later that evening, Nikki and Bryan watch Raw, as Brie enters the ring on the show. Bryan notes that Brie is wearing his kick pads and Nikki's shorts. Brie is having a singles match with Summer Rae as Nikki and Bryan watch on. Kathy is also in the room. She asks Bryan if he is tired of being around her and Nikki while Brie is gone. Bryan admits that he does miss her but he is happier in this setting than being alone at his home in Phoenix. The action in the ring shows Lana attacking Brie and hitting the face buster on Brie. Nikki notes how Lana used Brie's move on her and calls it weird....Daniel seems very sad watching all of this. Nikki tries to cheer him up and says that Brie will be home soon with Bryan getting pregnant.

The next morning, JJ is in the kitchen with his mom Kathy and Bryan. Kathy starts barking orders at her son. Telling him that he forgot to pick up cream for the house. JJ jokes that working for his mom, He feels like an executive assistant. Bryan and Nikki tease JJ about it... JJ does in fact work for his mother's company. Kathy is shown off screen describing her business. She runs an executive search firm. She started the company in 1999 and named it JBN. The initials of her three children, JJ, Brianna and Nicole. JJ is now shown off screen, describing his role in his mother's company. How he is a director of business development. How even though he has the fancy position and title. That he feels like he is just some low level assistant for his mother. Back in the kitchen, Mama Bella tries to defend herself and the way she barks orders at her son. She says that Nikki does the same thing. JJ says that it is different. Nikki is in a neck brace, needs our help and that's why we are here in the first place.

They all go outside together to have coffee. Nikki talks about her difficulty sleeping. How she woke up at 3 in the morning and was on the phone texting with Brie. They texted each other when Brie got back to her hotel after Raw. Bryan says that he wasn't in contact at all with his wife last night. Bryan seems sad about it. John Laurinaitis makes his first appearance this week. He is outside with the crew. He is asked about Brie's performance last night on Raw. Johnny says that he liked the match and the finish. Bryan breaks down the psychology of the match. Nikki is impressed with how smart Bryan is. She suggests that Bryan would make a great coach at NXT. Johnny agrees with Nikki. Bryan is then shown off screen saying that his only plan was to be a wrestler. Bryan talks about how he has wrestled for 16 years straight out of high school. How he never had any backup plans. Bryan doesn't think he will ever be as passionate for anything else, as he was for wrestling. Back to the family, Nikki tells everyone that she has her real estate license because if her career were to end. She would be selling homes as her backup plan. She suggests that Bryan go to the performance center today with her in Orlando. See if he Bryan would like to be a trainer.

After the break, We are back to the same scene and setting. Mama Bella chimes in that Nikki is worried about Bryan. That she wants him to find something that makes him happy in the next stage of his life. Bryan agrees to the suggestion and will head with Nikki to The NXT performance center. JJ says that he wants to come with them. Mama Bella teases JJ to go get her and Johnny some sandwiches.

JJ, Bryan and Nikki are headed to now headed to The WWE performance center. Bryan gets a call on his cell phone from Brie. Tells her how much he misses her. How grumpy he was that he didn't get the chance to talk to her yesterday. Bryan admits off screen that he is going through a hard time. That it's fine to be surrounded by loved ones but it's different without his wife and that he needs her right now. Back in the car, Bryan tells Brie on the speaker phone that he is being forced to go to NXT by Nikki. Nikki says that she's not forcing him. That she wants to open Bryan's eyes to new things. Brie says that Nikki is not Bryan's wife and that "she is the boss of him". JJ jokes that Bryan isn't bossed around as badly as he is by his own mother. Nikki admits that her brother has it rough with her mom. Bryan and Brie agree that JJ has it the worst. JJ tells everyone in the car, that everyone in the company makes fun of him being his mom's assistant.

They all finally arrive at The WWE performance center in Orlando. Bryan and Nikki greet some of the trainees when they get inside. JJ admits that he thinks the setting is so cool. You can see in the background, several NXT regulars at the time working in the various rings. Like Baron Corbin, Scott Dawson, Apollo Crews etc... Bryan, Nikki and JJ bump into Sami Zayn. They greet each other. Zayn asks Nikki about her neck injury. Sami says that they have both had the same exact neck injury. Nikki says that she can no longer do any power moves or her finisher, The Rack Attack. Zayn describes how certain holds impact the neck without even realizing it. Bryan than agrees and says that he was prepared to change up his wrestling style when he was hoping for clearance. Bryan gives a great example of a whole sequence he had planned out for a simple single leg takedown. He demonstrates it on the mat with Sami Zayn. It looks cool. Bryan confesses that he was going to use this technique in a match with Brock Lesnar. Sami agrees that it would work great vs Lesnar because "his style is very primal".,, Bryan continues showing Sami his ideas. While Bryan is doing this, Nikki pulls JJ aside and says "Do you realize that Bryan is coaching right now without even realizing it".... Nikki is off screen talking about how happy Bryan looks during his demonstration. Nikki jokes that she is going to steal his move set when she comes back....

Sami Zayn compliments Bryan and is extremely impressed with Daniel's unique ideas. Sami mentions Bryan's book and how he knows that Bryan doesn't fancy himself as a trainer. Bryan explains that it is easier for him to visualize his ideas and tell them to people but not to teach the actual concepts. Nikki continues to push and praise Bryan about being a trainer. Bryan says that once he starts getting into it and acting his sequences out. He gets too excited and then he gets depressed because he can't wrestle anymore. Nikki starts to feel bad now for bringing Daniel to the center. Bryan says the wound is too fresh. He tells Sami that he was told about his retirement two days before he was ready to announce his in ring return. Sami says that he is getting sad. That he came in to do his workout and jokes that now his whole world has been shook up.

On the drive back from the performance center. JJ says the trip got him all pumped up. Nikki then apologizes to Bryan that she didn't even think that the trip to the center would make him sad. Bryan says it's ok. Bryan says that he is in the grieving process and is not ready to move forward.

We are back at The Cena Mansion and JJ is with John Cena in the living room. JJ tells Cena about his trip to the performance center. How impressed he was and how he feels like he can see himself getting in the ring one day. JJ says that he has an interest in wrestling but doesn't want anyone to tell his mom about it. John asks if JJ's mom would have a problem with it. JJ admits that she would have an issue even though her daughters were wrestlers. JJ feels that it would be rough for his mom because he works for her company. John states that he left his day job to become a wrestler. JJ asks John Cena if he can put in a good word for him because he is the face of the company. John asks JJ, What he means by that?... JJ stumbles with his words and explanation. John gives JJ career advice. Tells him that he will bring him to the performance center but that the rest is up to JJ.... Off screen, JJ says that his exchange with John about a career change to wrestling was one of the most awkward moments of his life.

Nikki enters the room with Daniel. John is talking about how he is going out tonight with Nikki to celebrate her dedication in recovery. Nikki mentions how JJ got bit by the wrestling bug at the center while Kathy walks into the living room. Doesn't seem like she heard it. Cena asks Bryan about his experience at The Performance Center. Bryan reiterates what he has expressed earlier in the program. While he was excited while he was there, He was bummed out that he wasn't a performer anymore. John Cena compliments Daniel Bryan. Tells him how smart he is and what a great mind he has for the business. How selfishly from a company perspective, Daniel would be a great asset to anyone in the WWE. Nikki then runs down a bunch of different career options for Daniel other than wrestling. Like hosting shows for Tiny Homes or Garden type shows.

Off screen, Daniel is shown talking about how uncomfortable, he is with everyone's persistent pushing of him to take a new path. Bryan says that he doesn't do anything for monetary reasons. He is not driven by material things. He is only driven by things he loves. Daniel says that in The WWE. He actually took a personality test that measured levels of ambition and he scored the lowest score of any wrestler in the history of the company.

Back at the house the very next day. JJ is with his mom and Nicole. Kathy asks JJ for a favor. She asks him to go do some computer work for her. JJ snaps at her. Suggests that she do the research and work herself. Kathy tells JJ that he is better at computer work than she is. Nikki is off screen saying that she can tell that JJ is getting tired of being treated like a child.

The next scene has Nikki getting all dressed up fancy to go out and have tea with Bryan. Bryan enters the room. Nikki compliments him on his casual attire but says that he needs a sports coat to go with it. Bryan says he doesn't own one. Asks if he can wear a suit jacket. Nikki says that not wearing a sports coat may be inappropriate for that type of setting. They are now in a car headed to have tea at "High Tea". Bryan asks Nikki how people at High Tea will react to him not wearing a sports coat. Nikki says she doesn't know because she has never been there with a guy. When they arrive, Nikki asks Bryan if he likes the setting. He says he likes tea but wishes it was more of a casual setting. Bryan seems very uncomfortable. Nikki asks Bryan about Brie potentially becoming a mother in the future. Bryan will be happy when he and Brie spend more time together. Nikki and Bryan both end up enjoying their experience at high tea.

Back at The Cena house. Everyone is sitting outside. The focus is on Nikki's dog Winston. Somehow the conversation about getting a new puppy leads to Nikki talking about raising a child. John teases Nikki that she wouldn't do a very good job with the kid based on how she has trained her dog Winston.

Later in the evening, Brie Bella arrives home and is greeted by her husband Bryan. He tells Brie how happy he is to see her. Brie off screen talks about how she never has enough time for her husband being at John and Nikki's house. Brie says that she can tell that something is wrong with Bryan right now and that he is not in a good place.

The next day at The Cena estate. John Laurinaitis and JJ are hitting golf balls into a lake. JJ tells Brie and Johnny that he is considering a career change into wrestling. Brie tells JJ that he is turning 30 and she disagrees with his idea of becoming a wrestler. Tells her brother that their mom has put a lot of time in training JJ to run her company in the future. JJ says that it's his mom's dream but maybe not his. Laurinaitis tells JJ that there is more to wrestling than just having some athletic ability and charisma. Talks about how hard it is to be a wrestler. Johnny discourages JJ.

Brie and Nikki are now hanging out together in the house. Brie is trying on Nikki's neck brace and snooping through her sister's belongings. She comes across a picture that Nikki has saved of John Cena with a bunch of kids. Brie teases her for keeping the picture. How Nikki continues to dream that John will someday want to have kids with her. Brie talks about JJ contemplating departing their mom's company for wrestling. Nikki says that JJ is unhappy. Brie thinks that JJ needs to talk out his issues with his mother.

The next scene has The Bellas at a local spa getting pedicures. Brie confesses at the spa to Nikki that her husband Bryan suffers through anxiety and depression. That he has been battling depression since he was 25 years old. Brie says that Bryan's bouts with depression usually last for only 2 days at a time. How she has suggested therapy to him in the past but he has refused. Nikki admits off camera that she is shocked that Bryan suffers from depression and anxiety. That she would have never thought that about Bryan.

The Bellas are shown out at a hotel restaurant for brunch. Seated with them is John Cena, JJ, John Laurinaitis and his fiancois Kathy. Brie manages to sneak into the conversation, JJ's desire to find a new career path. John Cena excuses himself to go to the bathroom after mentioning that Brie just threw her brother under the bus. Nikki offers to go with him and jokingly offers Cena a quickie...... Kathy is surprised and confused by Brie's comment about JJ. JJ explains his frustration with his mom and position within her company. How he is weighing other options. Mama Bella gets ticked off and tells her son that if he is unhappy, that he should give his two week notice. Brie is shown on camera smirking at the rift she has just caused. Johnny tells Kathy that she shouldn't get riled up. Kathy feels that she has every reason to be upset with how she is being characterized by her son. John Cena returns to the table. He catches up on what has transpired while he was away. John does a very good job of breaking down the entire situation and explaining it to everyone at the table. Cena manages to calm down everyone at the table. He throws in a dig at Brie at the end for not having faith in her brother to talk to his mom personally about it. JJ promisies vengeance on his sister Brie. Says that he can't wait till he has the chance to spoil one of Brie's secrets in the future and run and reveal it to Bryan before she does. Laurinaitis jokes about what a fun family brunch this has been.

Back at the home. Brie has a heart to heart with her mom about JJ. Brie convinces her mom to go on a walk with JJ and her, so that they can discuss their issues. During the walk, JJ says that he wants more responsibility and that he wants to feel and be treated as more important to JBN. Brie off camera explains how she understands how her brother feels now. She sympathizes with JJ's struggles with their mom.

Later on that evening. The whole Bella family is all dressed up for the annual Cena formal dinner. They start joking about language and vocabulary at the table. Kathy says how they can't go a day without using the terms "like and amazing". They start talking about pronouns and Nikki gets teased about not knowing what that is. John jokingly explains to Nikki, that it is a noun that actually makes a living off of being a noun. That a pronoun is a professional noun. Bryan says like an athlete. Kathy calls for a toast at the table. She apologizes and salutes JJ for his hard work. She closes the toast by giving JJ 20 percent of her company. The family does a tandem hip hip hooray at this news by Kathy. Off camera, Kathy says how much she loves her son and wants him as a partner. JJ is shown off camera saying how happy he is by his mom's decision and announcement.

The last scene of this episode is Brie taking her husband on a boat ride to see manatees. She thinks that this type of setting will make him happy. Bryan and Brie get into wet suits and go into the water to see the manatees up close. Later on the boat. Brie and Bryan have a heart to heart about Bryan's feelings and his future. Bryan jokes about his brain wasting away. The show ends with Brie questioning if she should skip WrestleMania to be with her husband immediately because she sees that he is in a bad place mentally.

This is the preview for next week's episode. The 4th in just a 6 episode season.