SmackDown star set to take on Nikki Bella on WWE RAW; Naomi segment confirmed

A WWE SmackDown star is set to compete against Nikki Bella tonight on RAW, and Naomi has also been confirmed for the show. This week's edition of the red brand will air live from Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

RAW General Manager Adam Pearce made a couple of announcements ahead of tonight's show. Pearce revealed that SmackDown star Chelsea Green would be in action against Nikki Bella. The former NWA Champion also shared that Women's World Champion Naomi would be making an appearance as well. The Glow cashed in her Money in the Bank contract at Evolution to capture the title.

"The world is still buzzing about our women, and Evolution, in particular, the brand new Women's World Champion Naomi. Use extreme caution because tonight on RAW, the champ is in the house. What will she say? We will find out. Plus, a woman who paved the way, a trailblazer, a groundbreaker, the Hall of Famer Nikki Bella goes one-on-one for the first time in seven years on RAW against a woman who is a Hall of Famer in her own mind, my close personal friend Chelsea Green," said Pearce. [0:05 - 0:31]

There is also a Gauntlet match featuring CM Punk, Bron Breakker, Penta, LA Knight, and Jey Uso to determine the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. The winner of the bout will challenge Gunther at WWE SummerSlam next month.

Former WWE writer reacts to Nikki Bella's return

Wrestling legend Vince Russo recently shared his thoughts on Nikki Bella's return to WWE.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's BroDown show, Russo suggested that Bella wasn't a fit on the current women's roster. He stated that Netflix likely wanted star power on the show, and that was why the former Divas Champion was brought back to the company.

"Bro, I don't think she fits the women's roster at all. But I think this is what we've been talking about all along. Those numbers on Netflix continue to go down. Netflix, they want star power, bro. They don't know Giulia, the don't know the girl with the ram horns. They think Lyra Valkyria stinks. That's why Nikki was brought back into the fold. Only reason, bro," said Russo. [From 9:53 onwards]

You can check out Russo's comments in the video below:

Tonight's episode of RAW will be the first show following WWE Evolution 2025. It will be interesting to see if WWE has any more surprises planned for the event.