Nikki Bella surprisingly leaves AJ Lee out of Greatest Ever conversation; names 2 WWE legends

AJ Lee is a former WWE Divas Champion [Image credits: wwe.com]
AJ Lee is a former WWE Divas Champion [Image credit: wwe.com]

WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella recently namedropped several stars in her greatest female wrestlers ever list. The former Divas Champion surprisingly left AJ Lee out of the conversation.

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Nikki Bella is one of the greatest names to ever step inside the squared circle in World Wrestling Entertainment's women's division. The legend has won several titles throughout her wrestling career and is still going strong in 2025. Similar to Bella, her former rival, AJ Lee, made a huge name in the pro wrestling world in the early 2010s. She recently returned to WWE after a decade to start where she left off in 2015.

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During her recent appearance on SPORTbible, Nikki Bella was asked about her Mount Rushmore of female wrestlers. The WWE Hall of Famer said that it was hard for her to choose names, as there have been different wrestlers in different generations who deserve to be on the list.

Bella then namedropped legendary Mae Young and Trish Stratus for what they did for women's wrestling in their respective generations.

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"So this one's very hard for me to do, and there's so many people I want to put on this. First, so I'm going to try to pick maybe some from different generations. So let's put on Mae Young for what she did for women's wrestling, and let's… do Trish Stratus for what she's done for women's wrestling. So it's like another generation, another era," she said.
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Nikki also named Rhea Ripley from the current generation and Natalya for carrying forward the Hart Family legacy. However, she surprisingly left AJ Lee out of her list despite Lee's incredible influence on women's wrestling.

"If we're gonna talk present right now, let's put up Rhea Ripley for what she's doing for women's wrestling...The fourth one I'm going to put on for myself, it would be Nattie Neidhart because to put on someone who comes from a wrestling family, I think how being the only female from the Hart family to do what she's done, to come from the dungeon, she doesn't get enough credit for what she's done for women's wrestling, but just how she's carried on legacy and the pressure of that. So I think that definitely deserves a spot on my Mount Rushmore," she added.
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Check out the video here.

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Nikki Bella is officially a member of WWE RAW

Since Nikki Bella's return to wrestling at the 2025 Women's Royal Rumble Match, she was not listed under any brand, neither RAW nor SmackDown. Things recently changed as WWE finally assigned the Hall of Famer to the red brand.

Bella's former rival, AJ Lee, is also currently on WWE RAW with her husband, CM Punk. Many want to see the two come face-to-face at some point in the coming weeks.

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It will be interesting to see if the Triple H-led creative team has planned anything for a feud between Nikki and AJ in the future.

Please credit SPORTbible and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use quotes from the first half of this article.

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Edited by Aashrit Satija
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