Nikki Bella is still fighting to get cleared for a WWE return after the ankle injury that knocked her out of action earlier this year and ultimately forced her to miss WrestleMania 42.
The WWE Hall of Famer has been sidelined since March after suffering the injury during an episode of WWE SmackDown. Although Nikki previously hoped to return around WWE Night of Champions in June, she admitted doctors still aren’t giving her a firm timetable. While speaking with USA Today, Nikki explained that her medical team is waiting to reevaluate her ankle before making any decisions.
“Injuries are so funny. I always try to ask that.”
She said she keeps pressing doctors for a possible return estimate, but they’ve remained cautious throughout the process. Even with the uncertainty, Nikki admitted she’s still hopeful about returning before summer officially ends.
“(They’re like) ‘not until I see what your ankle looks like in June,’ and I’m like, ‘But if you were to just guess,’ and they’re like, ‘Don’t know, not until June.’”
“I’m hoping, for me in my head, end of June would be incredible, but I also don’t want to go back too early.”
Nikki also revealed she’s focused heavily on rebuilding the strength in her entire lower body before stepping back into the ring.
“Because you know the big part about when people get reinjured is because their strength isn’t matching, so I need to make sure the calves, the quads, glutes, I need to make sure they’re all built up.”
Her injury ended up changing WWE’s WrestleMania 42 plans in a major way. Paige returned to replace Nikki and teamed with Brie Bella during the event. The duo would go on to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships and still hold the titles today.
Nikki Bella clearly wants to return as soon as possible, but she also understands the risk of rushing back before her body is fully ready for the physical demands of WWE.
Do you think Nikki Bella should wait until she’s 100 percent healthy before returning, or would you like to see her back in WWE as soon as possible? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments.