What’s the Story?
Former Diva’s Champion Nikki Bella hasn’t been on WWE programming since Wrestlemania, but could she be heading to Money in the Bank? Nikki Bella uploaded a video on Bella’s personal YouTube channel hinting at that possibility.
In case you didn’t know...
Nikki Bella hasn’t appeared on Smackdown Live since her victory with her boyfriend John Cena at Wrestlemania back in April. The two were in a heated rivalry with the Miz and his wife Maryse that led to some of the more entertaining moments on Smackdown Live over that period of time, with the “Total Bellas: Lost Footage” segments parodying Nikki and Cena’s lives on their Total Divas spinoff.
The duo would capped off their win at Wrestlemania with a surprise proposal from Cena. Prior to the draft, Nikki was recovering from a neck injury, one so severe that she had to change her finisher to accommodate to a safer in ring style.
After Wrestlemania, Nikki would announce via her Instagram that she would be taking time off from wrestling.
The heart of the matter
While Nikki has been away from WWE television, she has kept up with her fans through social media, specifically providing updates on her life through Instagram and YouTube. Recently, Nikki has announced that she has gotten laser treatments to clear up some skin problems, erasing some bumps and bruising on her face.
On June 17th, Nikki posted a video titled “Will Nikki Bella surprise everyone at WWE Money in the Bank!?” In the video, Nikki discusses her skin post-laser treatment. She also mentions that she’ll be attending the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Sunday, stating that she’ll have the WWE Network App on during the show to watch the monumental Women’s MITB match and joking that maybe she could still fly out and make the show.
Maybe I’ll fly straight in and be the sixth member, who knows? No, but I really really wish taht I could be at Money In The Bank.”
She mentioned feeling like a proud mother watching her children take women’s wrestling up another level, and stated that she and Brie should start getting back into ring shape soon. Check out the video below.
What’s next?
As she stated, Nikki Bella will be attending the iHeartsRadio Music Awards on Sunday and, sadly, will be unable to attend Money In The Bank. However, she has mentioned in various Youtube and Instagram uploads that she is still in-ring shape and ready to return when the time is right.
As for the rest of the women’s division, Money In The Bank is having the first ever Women’s MITB match on Sunday, with Becky Lynch, Charlotte, Carmella, Tamina and Natalya all vying for a shot at the briefcase. Naomi will also be defending her WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship against Lana in her in-ring debut.
Author’s take
Nikki and Cena have both taken time off since Mania, with Cena working on his Fox show American Grit and Nikki celebrating her engagement and clearing her face of any scarring from her latest WWE run.
It’s sad to see Nikki won’t be appearing at MITB. As someone who carried the women’s division for a few years, it would have been nice to see her appear in the first women’s MITB match. She proved how much of an asset to the company she really was during her last title run. Hopefully, she makes her way back to the Blue Brand sometime soon, as Smackdown is missing the star power she brings to television.
