Nikki Bella Says Wrestlers Were Unaware of Her 2016 WWE SummerSlam Return Until The Last Minute

Nikki and Brie Bella left WWE last year and have since focused on building their own identities. Nikki Bella was incredibly loved during her time in WWE and this includes her in-ring return at the 2016 SummerSlam event. In fact, the participants in her in-ring return match weren’t aware of the fact.

In 2016, WWE SummerSlam took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. One of the most memorable moments of the night was the in-ring return of Nikki Bella, who had been sidelined due to neck surgery.

Bella discussed this match on the latest episode of The Nikki & Brie Show, where Carmella was the featured guest. Nikki teamed up with Natalya and Alexa Bliss to take on Naomi, Becky Lynch, and Carmella in the 10th match of the night. She revealed that her fellow competitors were unaware of her involvement until just two matches prior.

Nikki Bella: ”But also, (SummerSlam 2016 return) was nerve-racking because they literally did not want them to know I was there till — was it two matches before?”

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Carmella: ”You remember? And I had to go and take your finisher in the garage at Barclays. They just put a crash pad out by the trucks and they’re like, ‘Okay’ and we had never touched before so we were like, ‘Alright, but you need to take her finish.’ I’m like, ‘Okay’ and they’re like, ‘Okay, now go.’’

Nikki Bella: ”And I go, ‘Well shouldn’t I do more stuff in the match than just come and hit a finisher?’ And they’re like, ‘No, you’ll be fine’ and I’m like, ‘But it’s like a massive match. It’s SummerSlam in Brooklyn…’ I remember just sitting on the bus and being like, ‘I just got back from neck surgery.’ I hadn’t even had a practice match. We all know why I got put in that position, which I was so grateful for, when someone failed their test and they called me, they go, ‘Hey, can you actually be ready in six days?’ And I was like, ‘Sure.’ No pressure (she joked)…”

Nikki Bella also revealed that she had seriously considered joining WWE’s rival promotion, AEW at one point. But she ultimately decided against approaching AEW President and CEO Tony Khan prioritizing her family and son over her wrestling aspirations. Regardless, we’ll have to wait and see what’s next in store for Nikki Bella.

Were you happy to see Nikki Bella returning at the 2016 SummerSlam event? Let us know in the comments section below!