Bryan Danielson and Brie Bella brought a familiar mix of humor, honesty and marital banter to a recent appearance on The Nikki & Brie Show, where a conversation about Danielson’s haircut quickly became a debate about whether he had been trying to grow his hair out all along.
The exchange began with Bella recounting her involvement in Danielson’s barber appointment. She explained that she had specifically asked the barber not to touch Danielson’s beard or mustache, since she usually handles that aspect of his grooming herself. While she was pleased with the intended plan, Danielson had a more mischievous interpretation of what happened when the conversation turned to the overall look.
“You did go in and tell him to make me look like a pedophile. That’s what you said,” Danielson joked, laughing.
Bella immediately pushed back on that description. The former WWE star acknowledged that Danielson was unhappy with the haircut, but maintained that the barber had followed the request that had been made. Danielson, for his part, agreed that the haircut itself had been done well. His issue was less about the quality of the work and more about the timing, because he said he had wanted to let his hair grow longer.
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“He did the haircut like you asked him to. He did a good job on the hair,” Danielson said.
That distinction set off the central disagreement. Bella said that after the appointment, Danielson told her that he really wanted to grow his hair out. Her response was simple: why had he not made that clear before the haircut? Danielson insisted that he had done exactly that, saying he had told Bella on multiple occasions that he was trying to grow his hair out.
“I told her. Just so you guys know, I told her many times,” Danielson said.
Bella disputed that claim, prompting Danielson to explain what he believed had been happening whenever he mentioned it. In his version of events, he would say he was trying to grow his hair, only for Bella to focus on an awkward in-between stage that she described as a mushroom-like look.
“I said, ‘I’m trying to grow out my hair.’ She just ignores me and says, ‘Your hair looks like a mushroom,’” Danielson said.
Bella admitted that she had been hard on the appearance of his growing hair, though her objection was not to long hair in general. She said she likes a more intentionally wild, long and messy style. The problem, from her perspective, is the transition period where hair appears overdue for a cut rather than deliberately styled.
Danielson explained that getting through that phase was precisely the point. He was trying to reach the longer, less controlled look Bella said she preferred. Instead, the haircut meant he would need to begin the growing process again. Bella jokingly lamented that she would now have to revisit what she called the mushroom stage.
In a lighter moment, Danielson tried to mount an unexpected defense of mushrooms as a hairstyle and as a general concept. He wondered aloud whether mushrooms should be viewed as a sign of virility, then confidently declared that they were attractive.
“Aren’t mushrooms a sign of virility? Mushrooms are so hot. That’s what I think. My read on women is that women think mushrooms are hot. That’s my read on women,” Danielson said while laughing.
Bella was not persuaded. She said she dislikes seeing a mushroom haircut because it reads to her as the look of someone who simply needs a haircut. Her preference remained clear: if Danielson is going to have longer hair, she wants it to look intentionally long, free-flowing and somewhat messy rather than caught in an awkward middle stage.
Danielson, however, did not abandon the mushroom theme. He continued by listing varieties he enjoys, including lion’s mane and shiitake mushrooms. Bella added that the family’s children are well aware of their father’s enthusiasm. When they see mushrooms at a store, she said, they immediately think of him and suggest getting them for their dad.
“Anytime the kids see mushrooms in the store, ‘Let’s get that for dad. He loves mushrooms,’” Bella said.
Danielson clarified that his appreciation is primarily for actual mushrooms, rather than necessarily the hairstyle that had become the subject of the conversation. Still, the discussion evidently gave him at least one costume idea. He later said he might go as a mushroom for Halloween.
The exchange was a small but entertaining glimpse into the dynamic between Danielson and Bella, who have long been open about sharing candid stories from their lives together. Rather than presenting the haircut situation as a serious issue, both leaned into the absurdity of the disagreement: Danielson believed he had made his goal clear, Bella believed he had not, and a barber appointment became a debate over personal style, communication and fungi.
Danielson’s Hair Becomes the Latest Topic for a Family Debate
The humor of the conversation came from the contrast between the stakes and the intensity with which each side presented its case. Danielson was not criticizing the barber’s ability. In fact, he explicitly said the haircut had been done well based on Bella’s instructions. His frustration was that a good haircut was not necessarily the right haircut for somebody trying to grow their hair longer.
Bella’s perspective was equally straightforward. She did not object to Danielson having long hair, and she even said she enjoys a wild and messy long-haired look. What she does not enjoy is the period required to get there. To her, the mushroom stage looks unfinished. To Danielson, it is a necessary step toward the eventual hairstyle he wants.
That difference made the exchange relatable beyond the wrestling world. Anyone who has tried to grow out a short hairstyle understands that there is often an awkward stretch between cuts, where the intended final result is not yet visible. Danielson’s case was made more amusing because he attempted to reframe the entire issue around the supposed appeal of mushrooms.
Bella’s reaction made clear that the argument was not likely to be settled by Danielson’s theory about what women find attractive. Her immediate “No” shut down the idea that a mushroom haircut carries any universal appeal. Yet Danielson appeared happy to continue the bit, particularly once he could steer the conversation toward the food he enjoys and the possibility of a mushroom-themed Halloween costume.
A Playful Conversation, Not a Wrestling Announcement
While Danielson remains one of the most recognizable names in modern professional wrestling, this appearance centered on life away from the ring rather than a match, storyline, injury update or career announcement. There was no wrestling-related news attached to the haircut discussion. Instead, it offered a characteristically self-aware moment from Danielson, whose dry sense of humor shaped much of the exchange.
The most memorable takeaway may be his emphatic claim that mushrooms are “so hot,” a statement Bella was more than willing to challenge. Danielson’s affection for lion’s mane and shiitake mushrooms, however, appears unquestioned within the family. If he does ultimately choose a mushroom costume for Halloween, it would be a fitting extension of a conversation that began with hair and ended with the wrestler making an enthusiastic case for fungi.
For now, the haircut itself may be settled, but the larger argument remains open. Danielson wants to grow his hair out. Bella wants to avoid the mushroom stage. And based on their lively discussion, it would not be surprising if the subject returns the next time Danielson sits in a barber’s chair.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.