Nikki Bella is making real progress after her ankle injury, and she finally has a clearer idea of what needs to happen before she can return to WWE.
While speaking to USA Today Sports, Nikki Bella gave a positive update on her recovery and revealed that she recently reached a new milestone in rehab. She said her ankle is doing well and that she was able to squat again for the first time.
“The ankle’s doing great. I was really fired up because this morning I got to squat for the first time—not too heavy. Looked a little bit like a baby deer.”
Nikki Bella then explained that her physical therapy has moved into a new stage. Instead of only focusing on healing, she is now working on strength and rebuilding the mechanics around the injury, including all the necessary body parts.
“But last week I got to move up a level in my PT, where I could start focusing on strengthening. So working with my trainer and my PT, a lot of our focus is on strengthening, as well as building the ankle and all the little mechanics that come with the toes, the feet, the hips, the knees—everything.”
The WWE Hall of Famer said the next major checkpoint will come in the middle of June, when she gets X-rays to see how the bones have healed. If that goes well, the next step will be matching the recovery with enough strength to safely return.
“I’ll get X-rayed in the middle of June and see how the bones have grown. So fingers crossed I’ll get amazing news, and then I’ve just got to match that with strength, and then I’ll be back.”
Bella admitted she has been trying to get a firm comeback timeline from doctors, but they are not giving her one until they see how the ankle looks in June.
“Injuries are so funny—I always try to ask, like, when can I come back? And they’re like, ‘Not until we see what your ankle looks like in June.’ And I’m like, ‘But if you had to guess?’ And they’re like, ‘We don’t know—not until June.’ That’s how it is dealing with doctors.”
Even though she would love to return by the end of June, Bella made it clear that she does not want to rush back and risk another injury. She said the strength around the ankle has to match the healing before she can safely compete again.
“So in my head, the end of June would be incredible. But I also don’t want to come back too early, because a big reason people get reinjured is that their strength doesn’t match their recovery. So I need to make sure the calf, the quads, the glutes—all of it—is built up properly so it protects that ankle.”
That update comes after Bella was forced out of her scheduled Women’s Tag Team Title match due to the injury. She had been set to team with Brie Bella before Paige returned and took her place, leaving Nikki to deal with the frustration of missing WrestleMania 42.
Bella previously said missing that moment hit hard because she believes she is close to the end of her in-ring career. She admitted that WrestleMania 42 may have been her last chance to perform on that stage in the United States.
“I don’t think a WrestleMania moment for me is going to come around. I get that I’ll probably have my last WrestleMania next year in Saudi maybe, but other than that, that will be it for me. So this would have been my last WrestleMania moment to share with family members and share with people here and, you know, really feel something.”
Nikki has also made it clear that when she does return, she wants her final run to look very different. Speaking on The Nikki & Brie Show, she said she wants to come back as a heel and focus on character work.
“I just want to do my last run as a heel. I don’t wanna be a babyface—I don’t like being a babyface. It’s very hard. I want character work, and I wanna be a heel.”
For now, Bella’s focus is on healing the right way. The end of June may be her personal target, but everything depends on how her ankle looks after the mid-June X-rays and whether her strength catches up to the recovery. Nikki Bella clearly wants to return, but she is also trying to be smart about it. If her rehab keeps moving in the right direction, her comeback could set up the heel run she has already been planning.
Do you think Nikki Bella should wait until she is fully cleared, or should WWE bring her back as soon as possible for her heel run? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
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