An update has surfaced regarding Nikki Bella’s potential WWE return following the ankle injury that forced her out of action earlier this year.
The WWE Hall of Famer has been sidelined since March after suffering the injury during an episode of WWE SmackDown.
The setback ultimately caused her to miss WrestleMania 42.
While Nikki previously stated that she was targeting a return around WWE Night of Champions in June, she admitted that her recovery timeline still depends on how her rehab progresses over the next several weeks.
Speaking with USA Today, Bella explained that doctors have remained cautious when discussing her status.
“Injuries are so funny,” she began. “I always try to ask that,” Bella said while speaking to USA Today regarding asking medical team about her status. “(They’re like) ‘not until I see what your ankle looks like in June,’ and I’m like, ‘But if you were to just guess,’ and they’re like, ‘Don’t know, not until June.’”
That hasn’t stopped Nikki from remaining optimistic about getting back into the ring sooner rather than later.
Still, she made it clear that she has no interest in returning before she is fully ready physically.
“I’m hoping, for me in my head, end of June would be incredible, but I also don’t want to go back too early,” she added. “Because you know the big part about when people get reinjured is because their strength isn’t matching, so I need to make sure the calves, the quads, glutes, I need to make sure they’re all built up.”
Nikki’s absence led to a major change at WrestleMania 42, as a returning Paige stepped in to replace her.
Paige would go on to team with Brie Bella, and the duo captured the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, titles they continue to hold today.
