Nikki Bella says her WWE Clash in Paris match with Becky Lynch wasn’t the original plan.
Lynch defeated Bella this past Sunday to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship, but as Bella revealed on The Nikki & Brie Show, the bout was first scheduled for an episode of WWE Raw before plans changed due to Naomi’s pregnancy.
“So from Birmingham until I arrived in Paris, I didn’t go home because I knew, okay, by the time I go [from] England back to [San Francisco International Airport], then have to do SFO back to Paris, I would really be home for two days, crazy jet lagged and to prepare for a match that originally was going to be on Raw, that got moved to the PLE,” Bella explained. “I’m like, I have to stay overseas and just prep, kick the jet lag out.”
According to Bella, she found out about the change roughly one week before the show. She admitted she’s unsure what the original Clash in Paris card looked like but believes it only featured one women’s bout, which was Naomi vs. Stephanie Vaquer for the Women’s World Championship.
That match was scrapped after Naomi announced her pregnancy. Now, a new champion will be crowned when Vaquer battles IYO SKY at WWE WrestlePalooza on ESPN on September 20 in Indianapolis, IN.
Despite losing to Lynch, Bella said competing for the title in Paris was a dream come true. She admitted a couple of moments in the match didn’t go as planned, but the backstage reaction made it worth it.
“People were clapping for me when I came back after the match, which was really special,” Bella said, noting that while she received some criticism online, she’s choosing to focus on the positives. “This is a part of life and coming back. Things don’t happen overnight. And if you look at other comebacks, like, I’m not here to do a one-off and go to the [Performance Center] and train the same match for five hours every day to perform that 15 minutes that I just put 30 hours in.”
Bella continued, “I’m doing it as I have so much passion and love for this business. And that’s why I was like, I’m not going to let people take away of how much fun I had out there and how I loved every second. I was like in heaven. Like, I truly love wrestling. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m traveling every week.”
