Brie Bella has revealed that her SummerSlam match came close to being stopped after she suffered a broken scapula, but she insisted on continuing so her sister Nikki Bella could complete the match as planned.
Bella sustained the injury during the six-woman tag team match on the first night of SummerSlam at U.S. Bank Stadium, where she teamed with Nikki Bella and Paige against Fatal Influence. Despite visibly favoring her right arm throughout the remainder of the match and the post-match angle, she continued until the finish. On Monday, Bella confirmed she had fractured her right scapula.
Speaking on her YouTube vlog, Bella explained what was going through her mind after the injury occurred.
“I don’t know if it’s because we’re people pleasers, but the whole time in my head I’m like, ‘No, I got to stay in so Nikki can get the hot tag.'”
She revealed there were discussions about ending the match early.
“They were telling me, ‘Stay down.’ Or they were thinking about calling the match.”
Despite being in severe pain, Bella was determined to continue.
“I’m like, ‘No, no, no.’ Even though I was in crazy pain, all I could think about was, ‘Nikki’s got to hit that comeback.'”
Bella did not specify who was urging her to stay down.
The injury is believed to have occurred when Jacy Jayne hit a cannonball that drove Bella’s shoulder into the steel ring steps. There has been no indication from anyone involved that the spot was anything other than a routine sequence.
Following the match, Bella was taken to hospital for evaluation. WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque confirmed during the post-show press conference that she had received treatment at the stadium before undergoing scans.
The following day, Nikki Bella explained on Busted Open Radio that she had been instructed not to discuss the injury publicly until Brie was ready to address it herself, which she later did on social media.
Neither Brie nor WWE has announced a timetable for her return.
The injury comes at a difficult time for both Bella twins. Nikki had only recently returned from a broken ankle suffered in March, with SummerSlam marking her first match back. Brie returned to full-time competition at the Royal Rumble earlier this year and captured her first WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship alongside Paige at WrestleMania 42 before the titles changed hands in July.
Earlier this year, both Brie and Nikki signed new two-year WWE contracts, which they have said are expected to be the final deals of their in-ring careers before retirement.
