The past two years have been very emotional ones for the Bella Twins. Nikki Bella suffered what she thought would be a career-ending injury (and necessitated the central conceit of the first season of Total Bellas), and Brie Bella followed her husband Daniel Bryan into retirement after WrestleMania 32 in hopes of starting a family.
Nikki would eventually return to WWE at last year’s SummerSlam, of course, and wrestled full-time all the way up through WrestleMania 33, where she was publicly proposed to by her longtime boyfriend and respect enthusiast John Cena. Prior to WrestleMania, however, rumors and reports abounded that Nikki was wrestling through a lot of pain and complications related to her neck injury and surgery.
Brie, meanwhile, got pregnant and gave birth to her first child, and shortly thereafter began her journey back to getting in ring shape. As we careen toward the second season of Total Bellas, the seventh season of Total Divas, and the launch of the Bella Twins’ pun-free cooking (or maybe just food) show, Brie and Nikki seem to be at different points in their comeback journeys.
The Bella Twins were part of the big Mattel panel at San Diego Comic Con this past weekend, and both of them spoke about how their returns are progressing. For Brie, it’s full speed ahead. For the moment, she’s confident she’ll be able to get back in the ring in 2018. In fact, she and Bryan are even putting a wrestling ring in their house … or on their property somewhere, anyway.
“[Daniel Bryan’s] like ‘Well, Brie, I think we have enough room for a ring and why don’t we start training?’ I’m was like ‘Yes!’ I’ve been begging him for one. So … I have the perfect coach -– General Manger, thank you -– in Daniel Bryan, and we’re going to start training, so I’m hoping [in] 2018, I can get back in the ring.”
Brie Bella: backyard wrestler!
It’s a different story for Nikki, however. Apparently there were a couple of complications with her neck surgery, and for the time being, she’s focusing on her reality television career and her YouTube channel. She wasn’t able to put any timeline on her return.
“I’m just kind of doing reality thing and waiting for my neck to heal. Because I see two girls on my right, and two girls on my left, and I see my tag partner right here and I’m like, well shoot, I want to get back, so I’m just kind of hoping my neck heals and I hope it heals quick.
“We found out it’s not fully fused and I kind of have a herniation above where I had surgery but I think with time could heal hopefully, so I’m trying to do whatever I can.”
Well, that’s certainly a bummer. Especially for anyone who’s watched Nikki’s amazing in-ring journey over the past couple of years. We will miss your amazing forearm, Nikki, but we’re glad that you’re doing well enough. Take your time. WWE will still be here whenever you’re fully healed.
