WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella and Paige have started bringing real, off-screen personal history into their WWE storyline, and according to Nikki, that direction wasn’t the original plan.
On the September 4 episode of SmackDown, a promo between the two took a personal turn, with Paige bringing up John Cena and Nikki’s divorce.
Speaking on “The Nikki & Brie Show,” Nikki said she has no issue with the segment going that far, explaining that she’s fully on board with whatever gets a genuine reaction out of the crowd.
Well, and I know people can feel both ways and, like, believe me, I get it. But I think I’m all for, you know, what entertains a crowd, what helps make a crowd react.
Nikki traced the personal turn back to something unexpected, fan chants during a recent show in Canada. According to her, those chants stirred things up and directly led to the material that ended up in the SmackDown promo. Without that crowd reaction, she said, none of it would have happened.
And I’ve always loved bringing something personal into it, and it all got stirred up from what they were chanting in Canada. If they never chanting that, you know, none of the stuff in the promo would’ve ever happened.
Because the segment aired live, Nikki got to hear the crowd’s reaction in real time as the personal shots landed, and she said it was clear the material was working. She’s also noticed a divided response from fans online since, with opinions split on whether the personal angle was fair game or went too far.
However, she doesn’t see that split as a reason to pull back, saying getting people talking and reacting is exactly the point heading into her match against Paige in Mexico City.
The feud escalated further after SmackDown when Nikki responded on social media, promising to shut down Paige’s trash talk when the two finally meet in the ring.
