Former WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella, who has been out of action with a serious, career-threatening neck injury since late 2015, made a surprise return to the ring this weekend at WWE SummerSlam. She was the mystery partner for Natalya and Alexa Bliss in their six-women tag team match against Becky Lynch, Naomi and Carmella, filling in for Eva Marie who is currently serving a 30-day suspension for her first violation of the WWE Wellness Policy.
It looks like Nikki will be a permanent fixture of the Smackdown brand, and will pick up where she left off as a heel, which makes sense given her long-term relationship with fellow Smackdown star John Cena.
After a long rehab schedule, neck surgery in January, and uncertainty if she would ever be able to return to the ring, Nikki was spotted working at the Performance Center in Orlando several weeks ago, but had not at that time been officially cleared to return to television. This was her first match since October 26, 2015.
