Nikki Bella Apologizes for Past Comments About Fellow WWE Hall of Famer

WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella recently came under fire for a resurfaced clip from a 2013 episode of Fashion Police, and now she’s making a formal apology. Bella was on the show with her sister, Brie, and the clip in question has her holding up a photo of WWE Hall of Famer Chyna (who was still alive at the time). Bella referred to the former women’s champion by saying, “we don’t know if it’s a man or a woman,” prompting Rivers to make a joke about her having male genitalia.

“I want to sincerely apologize for a comment I made over 8 years ago on Fashion Police,” Bella wrote on Monday. “I am sorry and embarrassed by my 29-year-old self, who offended Chyna and in turn, hurt her family and others. I wish I could take it back. Please learn from me, it’s not worth hurting someone’s feelings for a meaningless laugh. Chyna will always be remembered as an icon and pioneer who helped create the opportunities for women in wrestling that exist today. Thank you, Chyna! -Nikki Bella”

Chyna’s official Twitter account posted a response — “Nikki has apologized on her page and in private. It was sincere. Please stop attacking her. Her apology has been passed on to the family also. She has grown as a person. There is no hate or Ill will. Please build each other up not tear down. Chyna believed in forgiveness”

“The Ninth Wonder of the World” passed away at the age of 46 in April 2016 due to an accidental drug overdose. Three years later she was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of D-Generation X.

The Bella Twins were inducted into the Hall of Fame this past April as members of the Class of 2020. The pair recently told Entertainment Tonight that they’re still working towards a WWE return.

“The one thing is that WWE brought the Women’s Tag Team Titles in. We were like, ‘Wait a second, how do the Bellas not have this on the résumé?’ It’s tempting because we would love to go fight for the tag titles because that’s what we’ve always been: a tag team,” Brie said.”

“Now that Birdie is four, and we talking about when the boys get a little older too, to have your kids watch what we used to do in that ring would be really special for us,” she added. “I’ll never forget the moment when I wrestled Stephanie [McMahon] at Summer Slam. To see her three little girls, they were little at the time, to see their faces when we came back. They looked at their mom like she was a superhero. I want that one day. I just thought that was the coolest thing.”