Nikki Bella knew people were going to have opinions the second she stepped up to Chelsea Green. Some fans loved seeing her go after the WWE Women’s Championship, others couldn’t believe she was back in the title picture—but if you ask Nikki, they’re all helping her anyway.
Speaking on The Nikki & Brie Show, Nikki reflected on confronting Chelsea Green on the September 18 edition of WWE SmackDown and said the reaction that mattered most wasn’t what happened online. It was what happened inside the arena. According to Nikki, the Corpus Christi crowd couldn’t have made their feelings any clearer.
“But that Corpus Christi crowd was so amazing. They really want me to have the title, Brie. The fans like cheered super loud. They were like excited about because, you know about live reactions, that’s what we go by.”
The excitement didn’t stop once SmackDown went off the air either. Nikki claimed she ended up being the most-searched person coming out of the show, even ahead of the men’s roster. She admitted there was plenty of negativity mixed in, but that didn’t really surprise her.
“And then I was like the most search person, you know, it’s always good and bad of course. But even over the guys, I was number one. One’s from Friday night SmackDown.”
Brie naturally wanted to know what everyone was saying online, but Nikki admitted she doesn’t spend much time reading comments anymore because she’d rather not invite that negativity into her life: “What’s the, they said, I don’t even look because I don’t put that in my energy field.”
She did happen to catch one comment that made her laugh. Like she’d expected, there were already fans complaining about her going after another championship. Instead of getting defensive, Nikki saw it a completely different way.
“I’m sure there’s a ton of like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ I think I saw one. Like, ‘Don’t tell me in 2096 Nikki Bella is going for the title.’ That’s like always. It’s like, um, actually you’re talking about it. So yeah, I am. You’re welcome.”
Nikki Bella also believes some of the criticism isn’t even genuine. In her opinion, people exaggerate how much they dislike her because they know bashing Nikki Bella gets attention online.
“You know how they like so exaggerate their feelings ’cause they feel like they get like five stars if they bash me.”
She even brought up a video she’d seen discussing what the creator called the “forced hate” surrounding her. Nikki said it was something she and Brie had talked about before, and she actually enjoyed seeing someone point it out.
“Oh my God. It’s like, a girl did a video about it and I, like, loved it just about the forced hate against me, which we always talk about, but I don’t care. Keep talking.”
Brie couldn’t help but agree, and Nikki doubled down on the message, saying, “Yeah. Keep talking and I’m gonna, I mean keep on going.” For Nikki, all of that online noise still comes second to what happens in the building every Friday night. That’s the reaction she says WWE talent really pays attention to, and from her perspective, the fans in Corpus Christi told her everything she needed to know.
“But I like loved it just ’cause we go off crowd reactions. Right. And the crowd was so hot.”
She made it clear that, love her or hate her, she isn’t asking anyone to stop talking. As far as Nikki is concerned, every debate, every complaint and every conversation is helping her current run.
“Keep talking about me because I’m loving these numbers and it helps honestly. I do think Bella Army because we’re so strong worldwide. It just came out how Bella Army, female-wise, is the number one fandom as far as in the wrestling world worldwide.”
Nikki Bella doesn’t sound interested in convincing everyone she deserves another shot at championship gold. If the crowds are loud, people are searching her name and fans can’t stop arguing about whether she should be chasing the WWE Women’s Championship, then as far as she’s concerned, everything is working exactly the way it’s supposed to.
What do you think about Nikki Bella going after the WWE Women’s Championship? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
