Nikki Bella says her ankle recovery is progressing well and she expects to start getting back in the ring soon, with X-rays scheduled ahead of schedule and strong results along the way.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s The Nikki and Brie Show, Bella described the mindset required to pace herself through rehabilitation after learning a hard lesson about pushing too far too fast.
As I’ve been working on my strengthening, what I’ve had to constantly tell myself is start — like you have to start somewhere. So there are things that I’m doing right now where I feel like I could be lifting heavier. I could be jumping higher, but that’s not what’s on track for me. That’s not a part of my healing. And it’s okay to start here and slowly build. I learned my lesson the other day because I was doing jumping and I got a little ahead of myself and I was like, I know I could jump even higher. And the minute I did it, I felt that through my ankle like fire and I was like, oh wait, now I know my limit.
On her WWE return timeline, Bella said skipping a planned trip to Italy to focus on recovery has been the right call.
Being home, I’ve realized that I’ve really just been hard working at my workouts and recovery and just getting really good news along the way — how much stronger I am, just everything looks great. I’m getting my X-rays done I think a week earlier. I’ll start to just get in the ring and dabble on how that feels. But everything’s just looking really strong and healthy and I felt like I had to be home.
Bella suffered an ankle injury in March during a SmackDown match. Paige stepped in as her replacement for the Women’s Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania 42.
