WWE fans tuning into the June 16 episode of Monday Night Raw were expecting a big appearance from Nikki Bella—but she never showed up on screen. Now we know why.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Nikki was scheduled to get involved in the Liv Morgan vs. Kairi Sane match—but Liv’s legit shoulder injury forced a major change of plans backstage.
Meltzer revealed that Nikki was present at the arena and ready to continue her storyline with Liv Morgan, which kicked off the previous week after Morgan’s surprise attack. The original idea was to further escalate the feud with a live run-in.
“Nikki Bella was there and she was going to do a run-in in the Liv Morgan-Kairi Sane match to help set up, you know, this next part of the angle,” Meltzer said.
But once Liv was injured during the match—later confirmed as a dislocated shoulder requiring surgery—everything unraveled behind the scenes.
“But they decided, for whatever reason, I guess because they just—everything was a panic at that point, and they probably didn’t, you know, put her out on a promo, because it’s like, well, if she’s okay, which, you know, I mean, what do you say? So that’s why she was not on the show. Even though she’d been advertised all week, she was there.”
Liv’s injury not only pulled her off the road for several months, it also put a pause on one of WWE’s newest storylines—just as it was starting to heat up. With SummerSlam approaching and WWE Evolution on the horizon, the timing couldn’t be worse.
Morgan, one-half of the current Women’s Tag Team Champions, will undergo surgery and miss significant time, forcing WWE to reshuffle creative plans and rethink how to use stars like Nikki Bella moving forward.
Do you think WWE should keep the Nikki Bella vs. Liv Morgan storyline alive while Liv recovers—or should they shift gears entirely? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.