During an appearance on the Sherri Shepherd Show, Nikki Bella discussed her return to WWE after a six-year break, navigating a public divorce, and the realities of co-parenting.
Host Sherri Shepherd asked Nikki about her dedicated “Bella Army” fanbase. Nikki compared them to another passionate group, noting their protective origins.
“I have to say, with the Bella army, they’ve become such a family,” Nikki said. “We’re a lot like the Swifties, but we have, I think, more edge. What I love about the Bella army and my fandom is it all came so naturally… we all started pre social media, and then social media came about, and people were getting bullied. And so this army just started to grow naturally, protecting each other”.
Nikki, who turns 42 on Friday, also spoke about the physical challenges of keeping up with younger talent in the ring.
“I feel like it’s all mindset at this point, and then a lot of pain stuff afterwards,” she said. “I don’t go out anymore after the shows. The young ones do. I’m like, putting ice on my bed… It’s tough. It’s definitely tough. For the recovery part, I have to be so much more focused on it”.
Nikki explained that “a hunger inside” and the “empowering” feeling of being a pro wrestler keeps her going.
Finding Herself After a Six-Year Break
Shepherd also asked about Nikki’s six-year break from the industry, during which she moved to Napa and became a mother.
“It was incredible, because I became totally focused on my son,” Nikki stated. “The one thing that I realized, and I think is so beautiful, especially about mothers, is… we are selflessly. We totally lose ourselves. And we don’t even mean to… We’re just we love our kids so much we want to give them everything, but then we forget about us”.
Nikki described a moment of realization that led her back to wrestling.
“I just kind of remember looking in the mirror one day like, ‘Oh, who are you? Like, she’s not there anymore,'” she recalled. “And I knew the one place where I could find her was back in that ring where I could find my confidence again, and just other things that started to miss, like parts of me that were gone”.
“The one thing I’ve realized that I feel like sometimes, as moms, we’re afraid to talk about how we lose ourselves. We think it’s a negative thing, but it’s not. It just shows how much we love our kids,” she added.
Navigating a Public Divorce
Shepherd and Nikki also discussed their shared experience of going through a public divorce. Shepherd noted Nikki’s marriage to Artem Chigvintsev ended last year and asked how she navigated the breakup in the public eye.
“Well, having two public breakups… I’ve always done the work on myself for many years,” Nikki said. “When I went through that, I go, ‘This is why you do the work on yourself,’ because I felt so prepared”.
Nikki credited her support system and her faith for helping her through the challenge.
“Your support system is everything, because every day is a challenge, and you need the people to surround you that are going to give you truth, but also lift you up,” she said.
Co-Parenting Son Matteo
Nikki explained that her primary focus during the breakup was her son, Matteo.
“It also became about my son. So I knew that with Matteo, none of this mattered. It was what was the best for him,” she stated. “One thing someone had shared with me recently on Instagram was true privilege is when you have a mom and a dad and a happy household, and as long as mom and dad are happy for a child, that is like the best privilege they can ever have”.
She outlined her approach to co-parenting and ensuring her son feels supported by both parents.
“Sharing. Mateo, no matter whatever I feel, personally, I know that I want him to have those feelings as much as I could give him that even though it won’t be the same household, put whatever I feel aside, because it’s not about me when it comes to parenting. It’s about them,” Nikki said. “Make holidays together as much as possible, as many of their memories so he could grow up and go ‘Well, I always remember mom and dad, mom and dad together'”.
“It’s about him having the best father ever. That’s what I want”.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit the Sherri Shepherd Show with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can watch the Sherri Shepherd Show daily; check your local listings.
