Nikki Bella courtesy of WWE.com
Originally published on April 18, 2024
The following content reflects my personal opinion and should be interpreted as such. Any views expressed here are solely mine and do not represent any official stance. This opinion piece is intended for entertainment and discussion purposes only, and should not be construed as factual information or professional advice. Reader discretion is advised.
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Nikki Garcia, formerly known as Nikki Bella, one half of the most dynamic tag team in women’s wrestling, The Bella Twins, wants back in wrestling, and honestly, I am all for it.
During an episode of “The Nikki and Brie Show,” the WWE Hall of Famer revealed to her sister Brie that Mercedes Moné’s debut at AEW almost convinced her to call Tony Khan. The two-time WWE Divas champion said that it was a specific line that Mercedes said during her promo that struck a chord with her and it encouraged her to reconsider another wrestling run.
‘Since we’ve been lifting so much, we always say, we always start to get that wrestling mindset, ‘We’re going to go back and do this story and cut this promo.’ You get it, but how serious I got where I was like, ‘Okay, I think I can do maybe a year at AEW and I can do it every week.’
‘When I saw Mercedes debut and cut her promo, that line stuck with me, ‘Here, we’re going to make the evolution worldwide.’ I was like, ‘They do.’ It goes into many leagues, is what she means, it doesn’t have to be at one place. It can be at all these places where all these women are wrestling at. I go, ‘Brie, I think I can do it for a year. I can do it here to here and go every week.’
It’s no surprise to me that Mercedes’ “We’re going to make the evolution worldwide,” line meant so much to Nikki, given her vocal criticism concerning the presentation of women’s wrestling in WWE. Specifically, the Bella Twins were noticeably absent and unmentioned during WWE’s thirtieth-anniversary edition of their Monday Night Raw show in 2023. It’s evident that maintaining their legacy in the highest regard is crucial to both Nikki and Brie and I feel if she does choose to have another run in AEW, I believe this goal will be achieved.
Nostalgia, often frowned upon, has its ups and downs when it comes down to certain business decisions. While some content deemed acceptable for TV 20 years ago isn’t accepted today, I believe there are exceptions to the rule, specifically, wrestling rivalries. For those who watched WWE during the peak of the DIVAS era, Moné and the Bella Twins were embroiled in one nasty, highly entertaining rivalry. Back in 2015, the Bella Twins, along with Alicia Fox, found themselves in a heated feud with Moné, Naomi, and Tamina, known as Team B.A.D., which played out over several weeks. Amidst the tension between the six women, Moné and Nikki squared off in a memorable match that concluded with the CEO forcing Nikki to tap out.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to see Nikki and Moné reignite their rivalry for old times’ sake. I believe WWE fans would love the idea of seeing these two square off in the ring once again. And since Nikki is only interested in a year-long run, there’s plenty of time to tease her in-ring return and craft a storyline between the two women, centered around the theme of “old rivalries die hard.” It worked for Adam Copeland and Christian… until it didn’t.
During an appearance on the ‘Battleground Podcast,’ Khan spoke to hosts Tim Battle and Eli about Nikki’s comments and reassured them that he is open to having both Bella Twins on the AEW roster, especially with Brie’s husband, Bryan Danielson, already a part of the AEW family:
If Nikki Garcia ever wanted to come into AEW, I would be very interested in that. I think the world of her. I have so much respect for Nicole and Brie. They’re like family to us because Bryan is like a part of my family, and that means Brie and Nicole [are] part of the family. So I have so much respect for both of them, and if Nikki was interested in coming to AEW, we would love to have her here any time. That was so great to hear. It means the world, and I just like both of them so much. I think they’re really, really cool and really, really great stars that would add a lot to AEW if they ever wanted to come.
I think if handled properly and with careful consideration for what both Nikki and Mercedes achieved during their time in WWE and since leaving the company, a resurrected rivalry between these two women would be an incredible step towards greatness for women’s wrestling.
You can listen to Nikki’s thoughts on possibly returning to wrestling down below:
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