It appears Nikki Bella could return to WWE sooner than expected.
WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella sustained an ankle injury during the Bella Twins’ match against Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair on the March 27 episode of SmackDown. She lost her spot on the WrestleMania 42 card as a result, and Paige replaced her as Brie Bella’s partner at the event, going on to win the Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Nikki Bella had previously shared an update on her recovery and hoped to return to WWE in time for the Night of Champions PLE on June 27. She revealed that trainers cleared her for some light training, including riding her bike for cardio and some basic lifts. However, what she posted on her Instagram stories was far from “light training.”
Nikki Bella posted a clip of her performing multiple heavy barbell back squats at a gym. She looked confident and performed the squats with ease, signifying that a WWE return might happen sooner than most expected.
Triple H gave Nikki Bella the final say on Paige replacing her at WWE WrestleMania 42
During her recent appearance on the Battleground Podcast, Nikki Bella revealed that WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H gave her the final say about whether Paige should replace her as Brie Bella’s partner at WrestleMania 42.
“You guys were texting (Paige & Brie), but I wasn’t a part of that. And then right before I literally landed in Birmingham to get surgery, but Paul, he was texting me in there and he goes, ‘Hey, I really need to talk to you.’
“…I had just taken off from Newark to head to Birmingham, I’m like, I think I’m in the air for like three hours. And I remember him texting me again like, ‘Have you landed yet?’ I’m like, ‘Oh, he has something important to say,’ Nikki Bella continued.
“But Brie and Paige had been communicating more, like that she (Paige) was already in Birmingham. And then he called me and he’s like, ‘let me know how you feel.’ He totally gave me the option of, ‘Paige is available to take your place.’ He really teed it up and I agreed that would be the one person that would make it so meaningful and blah blah blah and all the things.
“He was like, ‘If you want to say no, I mean that’s up to you.’ I was like, ‘No, that’s the one person actually that would make the moment feel super iconic, she’s like our sister. We have incredible chemistry and Paige is a massive superstar.’ So, it was perfect,” Nikki Bella said. [H/T WrestleTalk]
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