Nikki Bella knew exactly what she was doing when she called NXT the “minor leagues”—and now she’s laughing at the idea that people thought she misspoke.
After her return promo on the July 24 episode of WWE SmackDown led to days of backlash across social media, Nikki finally addressed it on The Nikki & Brie Show, insisting fans completely misunderstood what she was trying to accomplish.
The line that got everyone talking came after Nikki returned to save Brie Bella from Fatal Influence, grabbed a microphone and unloaded on the new champions.
“You b*tches think you can sneak up from the minor leagues, steal from my sisters and get away with it. We are the reason you guys are here.”
The internet immediately exploded, with many fans accusing Nikki of disrespecting NXT by referring to WWE’s developmental brand as the “minor leagues.” Nikki doesn’t see it that way at all. For her, the criticism completely missed the point.
“Don’t get me wrong, a lot of people liked it, and I love what they’re saying to that community that hates me. And I’m like, do you understand how many people can’t make the minor leagues? Like, every pro division, before you get to the pros, has the minors. Every league. And by the way, there’s a lot of people that can’t even make the minors. Also, in our league, you know how many people try out for NXT and can’t make it? The fact that that was hung onto… I’m thinking like, you’re even missing the point.”
According to Nikki, the promo was never supposed to be about NXT. It was about making Fatal Influence feel like a bigger deal heading into SummerSlam.
“The heel team came in. That was their thing when they came in. They were sneaky, they sneaked up on everyone. So it was to give them the heat back.”
Then Nikki admitted something that explains why she isn’t bothered by the backlash in the slightest—she wanted people rattled. With only two episodes of television to sell the match, she deliberately leaned into the old version of Nikki Bella because she knew people would react.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking in my head. We have two TVs to sell this match. I knew, and I wanted to be the old Nikki Bella. I’m going to hit it where it makes people rattle a bit, and I’m going to sell this because we’re going to take it to them… Especially after what they did to you guys at MSG. Also, when are you, Paige and I ever going to get to compete at the level of SummerSlam against a team like this, Fatal Influence? I don’t know if that’ll ever happen again. So, you know what? We’re going to sell that. We’re going to do it.”
Whether fans loved the promo or hated it, Nikki says that wasn’t really the point. The goal was to get everyone talking before SummerSlam—and judging by the reaction, she believes she accomplished exactly that.
Do Nikki Bella’s comments change your opinion of the promo, or do you still think she went too far? Sound off in the comments below.
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