Nikki Bella announced that WrestleMania 43 will be her final WrestleMania appearance, revealing the news during a recent episode of “The Nikki & Brie Show.” The WWE Hall of Famer made the emotional declaration after missing WrestleMania 42 due to a severe ankle injury sustained during a SmackDown match on March 27.
Bella broke her ankle in the match, forcing her out of what she described as a hard-earned WrestleMania moment. An MRI the following day confirmed she had torn, sprained, and fractured her ankle, requiring immediate surgery.
Nikki Bella Clears Nia Jax of Blame
During the podcast, Bella addressed online criticism directed at Nia Jax following the injury. She clarified that Jax actually helped her exit the match safely after Bella realized the severity of her injury.
“What I want to clear up, because at first, Nia had gotten a lot of heat online and she actually helped me is when it came to the end of the match and the girls had to take us out, I knew at that point like I couldn’t even put weight on my foot at that point and I was in so much pain where I knew I was like, ‘Oh gosh, this is really bad,’ and I knew what was about to happen, so when she came to take me out, I looked at her and I go, ‘Please no, my foot hurts so bad,’ and she goes, ‘Wait, what?’ And I’m like, ‘I can’t get thrown out. I need to step out,’ so she helped me step out, but people made it like she injured me and I was like, ‘No, Nia actually really helped me in that moment,’ because I don’t know what, I would have belly flopped on the ground if I got thrown because I knew I couldn’t put my feet down,” Bella explained.
Surgery and Recovery Timeline
Bella received the MRI results while doing media appearances with her sister Brie the day after the injury. The doctor’s call came quickly, which she recognized as a bad sign.
“The next morning before Brie and I go do media and then fly out, I go get an MRI, Brie and I do our media, and then we’re sitting, we get an aperol spritz, a nice little lunch before we have to catch our flight, and then I get the call, which sometimes calls aren’t that quick after an MRI, so when I saw one of our doctors calling, I was like, ‘Oh gosh,’ so I answer and they’re like, ‘Don’t know how you managed to do all of it,’ and then just broke it down to me that I tore, sprained and fractured my ankle and they’re like, ‘You’re just gonna have to go straight to Birmingham, you can’t go home, and we’re gonna get you in surgery ASAP,’” she said.
Bella aims to return to action within six to eight weeks following the surgery.
WrestleMania 43 Farewell Plans
Reflecting on missing WrestleMania 42, Bella expressed frustration over losing what she considered her final meaningful WrestleMania moment. She revealed that WrestleMania 43, likely taking place in Saudi Arabia, will be her last appearance at the event.
“I don’t think a WrestleMania moment for me is going to come around. I get that I’ll probably have my last WrestleMania next year in Saudi maybe, but other than that, that will be it for me. So this would have been my last WrestleMania moment to share with family members and share with people here and, you know, really feel something,” Bella said.
“And I’ve worked really hard the past year and a half and I haven’t complained. I’ve done what I’ve been told. You know, I’ve helped put people over, even though I don’t care about that. But I’ve really, as far as my character and the impact that I can have, I’ve been very okay taking a step back and helping out and not complaining about it. So this was my moment that I worked really hard for this past year and a half. And for that to all go away is extremely hard,” she added.
The full discussion is available on “The Nikki & Brie Show” podcast.