Nikki Bella and Paige took things to a very personal place during the WWE SmackDown episode on October 16, 2026 when both women started using John Cena’s signature moves against each other in the middle of their singles match.
The Cena references stood out immediately because of Nikki’s very public history with him. Nikki and Cena were together for years, their relationship was heavily featured on WWE programming and Total Divas, and they were even engaged before eventually ending their relationship. Because of that history, bringing Cena’s trademark offense into a match involving Nikki was never going to feel random.
Paige was the first to go there when she teased Cena’s Five Knuckle Shuffle. Nikki managed to stop her before she could complete it, but that opened the door for Nikki to fire back with a Cena reference of her own.
Nikki then locked Paige in the STF, one of Cena’s longtime signature submissions. Paige answered by taking it even further and planting Nikki with an Attitude Adjustment for a near fall.
That made the sequence feel less like a simple tribute and more like both women deliberately poking at something personal. Paige using Cena’s moves against Nikki was obvious enough, but Nikki responding with those same references showed she was willing to lean into that history too instead of ignoring it.
The rest of the match was physical from the opening bell. Nikki hit Paige with a spear and took the fight to ringside, where both women used the barricade to punish each other. Paige later fought back with a Shining Wizard, clotheslines and multiple suplexes as the momentum continued to swing. Nikki came close to putting Paige away late, but Paige ultimately stole the victory by using the ropes for leverage during the pin.
Paige got the win, but the John Cena sequence was easily one of the most interesting parts of the match. With Nikki’s history with Cena being so well known, both women using his signature offense turned an already heated rivalry into something that felt much more personal.
What did you think about Nikki Bella and Paige using John Cena’s moves against each other? Do you think WWE intentionally leaned into Nikki’s history with Cena, or was it just a series of callbacks? Let us know in the comments.
