Nikki Bella Says She Was Close To Calling Tony Khan And Committing To AEW After Mercedes Mone Debut
Nikki Bella was close to joining AEW.
Nikki Bella retired in 2018 due to neck and spine issues, but returned to the ring for Royal Rumble 2022. Nikki & Brie Bella (Nikki Garcia & Brie Garcia) parted ways with WWE in 2023 after their contracts expired to venture out on their own.
Speaking on the Nikki & Brie Show, Nikki revealed that she put serious consideration into joining AEW not too long ago.
“Since we’ve been lifting so much, we always say, we always start to get that wrestling mindset, ‘We’re going to go back and do this story and cut this promo.’ You get it, but how serious I got where I was like, ‘Okay, I think I can do maybe a year at AEW and I can do it every week.’ When I saw Mercedes [Mercedes Mone] debut and cut her promo, that line stuck with me, ‘Here, we’re going to make the evolution worldwide.’ I was like, ‘They do.’ It goes into many leagues, is what she means, it doesn’t have to be at one place. It can be at all these places where all these women are wrestling at. I go, ‘Brie, I think I can do it for a year. I can do it here to here and go every week.’ Then, I thought of Matteo. I had a good week of like, ‘This is it. I’m going to call Tony Khan. I’m your girl. I will commit.’ Then, I was like, ‘I can’t do that to my son right now. He needs me,'” she said.
Brie said if Nikki were to go back, she couldn’t be her tag team partner because she was with her kids Birdie and Buddy while her husband Bryan Danielson is wrestling at AEW every week.
“Everyone thinks it’s TV one day a week. You have travel, you have preparation. I have to go to San Jose and get in the ring every day. There is a lot that goes into it and that takes all the time away from my son. He needs me the most right now,” said Nikki.
Nikki said that maybe once her husband Artem Chigvintsev retires from dancing she could give more thought on a future in wrestling.
It is unknown if or when the Bellas will return to the ring.
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