Nikki Bella has sporadically flirted with an in-ring return. While the longest-reigning WWE Divas Champion was forced to retire in 2018 due to neck issues, Nikki would occasionally pop by WWE programming to get physical. This culminated at WWE Royal Rumble 2022 when she competed in the titular battle royal, her first official match in over three years. Nikki’s relationship with WWE has since deteriorated, as she and sister Brie Bella have shared their criticisms about how the company handles its female legends. The Bella Twins would officially exit WWE in 2023 and rebrand themselves as Nikki and Brie Garcia, leading to speculation that they could pop up in another wrestling promotion under their real names.
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While nothing wrestling-related has come from it so far, Nikki recently admitted that she considered reaching out to AEW, citing inspiration to get back in the ring following Mercedes Moné’s AEW Dynamite debut.
Toni Storm Shuts Down Nikki Bella’s AEW Interest
The AEW Women’s Champion sees through the excuses.
Speaking during the AEW Dynasty post-show press conference, AEW Women’s Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm acknowledged Nikki Bella’s recent AEW interest comments.
“Nicole Garcia (Nikki Bella) thought about joining AEW when she saw Mercedes Moné did. You know why she didn’t? Because then she saw me and realized she can’t hold a candle to what I do,” Storm said. “I am the one taking this company to new heights, and I don’t even try to. I’m just being me.”
Nikki and Toni have never wrestled each other. While they both were under WWE contract from 2018 until 2021, the only time they would have shared a locker room would have been during the WWE Evolution premium live event in October 2018, as they both wrestled on that event.
Toni defeated Thunder Rosa to retain the AEW Women’s Championship during AEW Dynasty, continuing her 154-day reign.
AEW Dynasty 2024 Card
- AEW World Championship: Swerve Strickland def Samoa Joe (c)
- AEW Women’s World Championship: “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) def. Thunder Rosa
- Will Ospreay def. Bryan Danielson
- AEW World Tag Team Championships – Ladder Match: Young Bucks def. FTR
- House of Black def. Adam Copeland, Mark Briscoe, and Eddie Kingston
- AEW International Championship: Roderick Strong (c) def. Kyle O’Reilly
- AEW Continental Crown Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) def. PAC
- TBS Championship: Willow Nightingale def. Julia Hart (c)
- FTW Championship: Chris Jericho def. HOOK (c)
- Orange Cassidy and Katsuyori Shibata def. Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty
- Trent Berretta def. Matt Sydal
- Winner Takes All: ROH Six-Man Champions Bullet Club Gold def. AEW Trios Champions The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn
