Paige just went straight for one of the most public chapters of Nikki Bella’s life, dragging John Cena into their WWE feud and making sure Nikki’s relationship history was fair game.
The two got deeply personal during a backstage segment on the September 4, 2026 episode of SmackDown, where Nikki took the first swing by going after Paige’s reputation. Nikki called her “nothing but a degraded skank” before adding, “You think Paige has passion for this? No. Paige has more passion behind closed doors.”
Paige wasn’t about to eat that one quietly. She turned the whole thing right back around on Nikki and pulled Cena into the fight, telling her, “Nikki, you haven’t liked me since day one. You know why? Because I built my career on hustle, loyalty and respect.” That was about as subtle as a chair shot.
“Hustle, Loyalty, Respect” was the motto Cena carried throughout his WWE career, and Paige using it against Nikki was a very obvious shot at her famous ex-fiancé. Nikki and Cena started dating in 2012 and became one of WWE’s biggest real-life couples before Cena proposed in the ring at WrestleMania 33 in 2017 after they defeated The Miz and Maryse. The marriage never happened. Nikki and Cena ended their engagement in 2018, just weeks before they were supposed to get married. Cena later married Shay Shariatzadeh in 2020.
Paige still wasn’t finished. She closed the exchange by going after Nikki’s more recent marriage too, telling her, “I’m gonna end your career quicker than your last relationship.”
Nikki married Artem Chigvintsev in August 2022 after the two reconnected following her breakup with Cena. They share a son, Matteo, but the marriage eventually ended, with their divorce settled after Nikki filed in 2024.
So in the span of one backstage promo, Paige managed to bring up John Cena, steal his most famous catchphrase as a weapon, and then take another shot at Nikki’s divorce for good measure. This feud was already personal, but Paige just kicked the door off the hinges. Cena hasn’t been part of Nikki Bella’s life for years, yet one mention of “hustle, loyalty and respect” was all it took to drag one of WWE’s most famous relationships right back into the spotlight.
What did you think of Paige using John Cena and Nikki Bella’s relationship history against her on SmackDown? Did she cross the line, or is everything fair game in this feud? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
