Former WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella announced that she would be retiring from in-ring competition on the season finale of Total Bellas that aired on the E! Network in March.
On a recent edition of The Bellas Podcast, Nikki opened up about her retirement from WWE. This is where she got emotional because she felt like she is not appreciated by fans.
She also noted that she found out just days before WrestleMania and made it known that she’s done from in-ring competition. She has a history of neck problems that led to her getting surgery a few years ago.
“I love wrestling. I gave 13 years of my life. I beat my body up. I I just –I mean it was my world. And it’s so sad sometimes when I see the lack of respect or like, not the appreciation, like you know how badly I wish I could go out there and wrestle again and do it for the fans, and do it for us like I have risked my life and I will never get. And you know what. I’m a human being sometimes we’d like to be acknowledged or appreciated and the fact that I gave so much and I will never get to stand in that ring and have the ‘Thank you Nikki’ chant, or have just even give my last final words like that’s it.
I found out Thursday before WrestleMania and I’m done. That’s it. And the people want to blame me like, ‘oh, look you do all those things. She doesn’t care.’ I do care but my life has to go on. I have to go look at all those open doors and run right through them like Wonder Woman and take them on. And it’s just like I pray one, Brie, we will be appreciated by that crowd.”
You can listen to the entire podcast by clicking on the player below:
H/T to E Wrestling News for the transcription