Nikki Bella went into her confrontation with Chelsea Green fully expecting mixed reactions and now that the backlash has arrived, she says it’s working in her favor.
Speaking on The Nikki & Brie Show, Nikki reflected on confronting Green during the September 18 episode of SmackDown and said the crowd reaction in Corpus Christi was overwhelmingly positive and exactly the kind of live response WWE talent pays closest attention to.
She also claimed she came out of the show as the most-searched name from that night’s card, ahead of every male performer, acknowledging that mix of attention naturally comes with some negativity attached.
But that Corpus Christi crowd was so amazing. They really want me to have the title, Brie. The fans like cheered super loud. They were like excited about because, you know about live reactions, that’s what we go by.
Rather than engaging with critics directly, Nikki stated that she mostly avoids reading comments to keep negativity out of her space, though she did catch one recurring complaint about her continuing to chase championships years into her career.
And then I was like the most search person, you know, it’s always good and bad of course. But even over the guys, I was number one. One’s from Friday night SmackDown.
Nikki went further, suggesting some backlash toward her isn’t fully genuine, theorizing that critics know piling on her generates easy engagement online.
She also referenced a video she’d seen specifically describing the phenomenon as “forced hate” directed at her, saying she related to and enjoyed seeing someone else name the pattern.
I’m sure there’s a ton of like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ I think I saw one. Like, ‘Don’t tell me in 2096 Nikki Bella is going for the title.’ That’s like always. It’s like, um, actually you’re talking about it. So yeah, I am. You’re welcome.”
“Oh my God. It’s like, a girl did a video about it and I, like, loved it just about the forced hate against me, which we always talk about, but I don’t care. Keep talking.
Her ultimate takeaway is that she isn’t interested in winning over doubters. Between hot crowd reactions, high search numbers, and what she describes as the wrestling world’s largest female fanbase in the Bella Army, Nikki says every bit of chatter is proof her current run toward the WWE Women’s Championship is working exactly as intended.
