This past month, Nikki Bella wrestled in front of a live audience for the first time since October 2018. Before being eliminated by her own sister Brie Bella, the longest-reigning Divas Champion entered the Women’s Royal Rumble at the 24th slot.
Nikki spoke to TV Insider about the significance of her and her sister’s return to the ring.
“It was so incredible. Brie and I had a moment where we were selling on the ground during the Rumble. We were thinking, ‘This is so awesome.’ We just didn’t want it to end. We didn’t want to get out. It felt amazing,” Nikki said. “We were nervous at first because we hadn’t been in the ring for three years. You can go and practice, but there is nothing like a live crowd and going full at it. It was like riding a bike. We didn’t have to say a word. We didn’t miss a beat.”
Nikki and Brie have previously said that the return of the Bella Twins to the ring was imminent, citing the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships as the driving force. Due to Nikki’s previous injuries, her hopes for a wrestling comeback were put on hold for good in the fall of 2021.
Nikki was cleared for the Rumble barely four months after she couldn’t “think” taking a bump again. When asked about her plans after the Royal Rumble, Nikki said she was still aiming for tag team gold. “We really hope there is an opportunity to go after the tag titles,” Nikki stated.
The current women’s roster was also lauded by Nikki, who mentioned many past champions with whom she wants to work in the future.
“Being in the ring with Bianca Belair, I would love to come back and work with Bianca. I would love to come back and work with Rhea [Ripley]. I’m a huge fangirl of hers. Just seeing her presence in the ring-up close, I would die to do a story with her. It felt so cool to be in the ring again with Ronda [Rousey],” Nikki said. “She is just awesome and has an incredible presence. We all had a lot of fun in the locker room after.”
It’s not feasible for Nikki to come back full-time, although she did express the temptations to come back for a few programs.
“I really missed it, but I’m in mom mode and things are different now. I was sore for a few days. I can’t lie. The show made me think about how we can come back and do more of a story,” Nikki said. “Unfortunately, where we are at in our lives Brie and I can never be back full-time. We hope there is something soon or in the future that we can come back and do something. Just getting the taste in the ring made us want more.”
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