As a two-time Divas Champion and a WWE Hall of Famer, Nikki Garcia has spent the majority of her career at the top of the women’s division. However, since her recent return to full-time competition, she has found herself in a different role on the card. In a new interview, Nikki revealed that she is fully embracing her current position, calling it her “underdog era.”
For years, Nikki was a dominant force, setting a record for the longest Divas Championship reign in history at 301 days. Her return to WWE has seen her engage in storylines where she is fighting from underneath, a position she has not been in for a very long time. This new narrative challenge appears to have given her a renewed sense of purpose and motivation.
A New Challenge
Speaking on her podcast, SiriusXM’s The Nikki & Brie Show, she compared her current journey to that of the iconic movie character, Rocky Balboa. She explained that she finds it “cool” to be in a position where she has to fight her way back to the top.
“I truly feel like right now I’m in this like rockier, like an underdog era and I haven’t been in that underdog era for a really, really long time and it’s kind of cool to be there because all I have to do is climb up, is to keep fighting my way up, and it’s kind of cool to be back in this underdog era because of the expectation or where I’m at and it’s kind of cool that all I have to do is show up and give my best and impress and have the crowd behind me and fight for this and I want to fight hard for it.”
Fighting Her Way Up
This new role as an underdog provides a fresh storyline for the veteran superstar. Instead of defending her spot at the top, she is now chasing it, which creates a compelling narrative for the fans to invest in. Her main roster return in 2024 saw her immediately enter a feud with the formidable Piper Niven, a program that firmly established her as a babyface fighting against a physically imposing heel.
Her recent participation in the Women’s Battle Royal at Evolution also fits this narrative, as she was one of many competitors vying for a single opportunity. While she was unsuccessful in that match, her comments indicate that she is motivated by the challenge ahead and is determined to win over the fans and work her way back into championship contention.
You can hear her full thoughts on the latest episode of The Nikki & Brie Show, available now on the SiriusXM app.
