Nikki Bella is officially cleared to return to WWE, but not before going through an intense test at the WWE Performance Center.
The WWE Hall of Famer was forced to miss the Women’s Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania 42 after suffering an ankle fracture. Paige returned in her place and teamed with Brie Bella to capture the titles.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Nikki & Brie Show (see video below), Bella shared an update on her recovery from ankle surgery, revealing she recently traveled to the WWE Performance Center to receive medical clearance.
According to Bella, trainers put her through a demanding series of drills and even an impromptu match to ensure her repaired ankle could handle everything required for an in-ring return.
“I’m excited to come back,” she said. “I’ve been working hard.”
Bella explained that her confidence has continued to grow throughout the recovery process, noting how quickly she progressed after surgery.
“It’s been three months since surgery. I was squatting at two. The bones were still broken and they were like, ‘You’re fine.’ I’m like, ‘Alright…’ That’s why I feel more confident this time. When I went to the P.C. to get cleared, they’re like, ‘You look like a Nike commercial…’ If they wanted me to sprint, it was like 110 percent sprinting and just doing all the things because I wanted to prove how good I was.”
Bella went on to describe the moment that challenged her mentally more than physically, admitting she hesitated when asked to jump from the top turnbuckle before ultimately completing every test WWE threw at her.
“It’s like jumping high,” she continued. “But then it was funny because they go, ‘Okay, now go to the top turnbuckle and just jump in the middle…’ That messed me up a little bit. I got up there and I’m like, ‘No. I’m gonna break my ankle again. If I re-break my ankle right now, I’m gonna be so –’ I was good, I was good, and then I did a match on the fly. (They were) like, ‘Oh yeah, we just wanna see…’ They were like, ‘Oh, and we want you to start from the back, run, jump over the barricade, get in, and then at some point in the match, we’re just gonna have them toss you over.’ Because they’re just putting my ankle in situations. I did it.”
Also during the Nikki & Brie Show from Fanatics Fest, Paige reflected on her AEW run and said she’ll always be a ‘WWE Girl’.
