Nikki Bella has addressed Paige bringing her past relationship with John Cena into their increasingly personal WWE storyline.
During the September 4 episode of SmackDown, Paige and Bella exchanged words in a backstage promo. Paige referenced Cena’s famous WWE motto by telling Nikki that she had built her career around “hustle, loyalty and respect.”
Paige then delivered a more pointed line, adding, “You just slept with it,” in reference to Nikki’s former relationship with Cena.
Speaking on her podcast alongside sister Brie Bella, Nikki explained that she has no problem incorporating elements of her personal life into a storyline when it generates a strong reaction from the audience.
“I’m all for what entertains a crowd, what helps make a crowd react. I’ve always loved bringing something personal into it. And it all got stirred up from what they were chanting [for Cena] in Canada. If they never chanted that, none of the stuff in the promo would have ever happened, right? So it’s just kind of fallen into place that way.
But I mean, the crowd just being there, because, we shot that live. It was amazing to hear the reactions and even the stuff I brought before. And it is funny to see the reactions online, you know, very torn.”
According to Bella, the Cena references developed organically after fans began chanting for him during WWE’s recent stop in Canada. She suggested that without those chants, the personal material that followed would never have become part of the rivalry.
Bella also welcomed the divided reaction the promo generated online, with her comments making clear that she views the debate surrounding the segment as part of what makes the storyline effective.
Nikki and Cena were previously in a long-term relationship and became engaged at WrestleMania 33 in 2017 before ending their engagement and relationship the following year.
