Nikki Bella recalls Paige’s WrestleMania 42 return as her replacement

Nikki Bella was unfortunately sidelined for WrestleMania 42 and couldn’t go after the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship with her sister Brie.

Instead, the next best thing happened. Nikki Bella came out and addressed the Las Vegas crowd and announced that Paige would be her replacement. The fans were electrified to see the return of Paige after several years away. She and Brie Bella would go on to win the titles.

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Nikki Bella, Paige and Brie Bella celebrate during WrestleMania 42 Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Rich Freeda/WWE)

Ahead of Brie Bella and Paige’s tag team title defense against Nia Jax and Lash Legend at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Nikki Bella recalled the WrestleMania moment in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.

“It was amazing,” she recalled. “I feel like there’s no one else that could’ve taken my spot and would have had that kind of impact than Paige because we have so much history with Paige and Paige is truly like a sister to Brie and I and she’s a massive star with a ton of equity. I was so happy for her. I mean, obviously, you’re just down anyways about the injury. I couldn’t even say the word medically right, you’re just so in emotion.”

Bella said she was happy for her sister and Paige for their tag team win and added that she noticed the two may have better chemistry in the ring than she does.

Paige and Brie Bella address the crowd during WWE RAW at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on May 11, 2026. (Michael Owens/WWE)

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“But I was really happy for Paige, and also, Brie and Paige have such similar vibes,” she said. “Almost, I feel like, more than me and Brie. They’re just like, the checkered print, punk type of style girls. So when I’m watching them every week on TV, I’m like, this actually really works. This is great. So it makes me really, really happy for her – for Paige and for Brie.”

Bella, who became the Chief Margarita Officer for Madam Paleta Tequila, is working hard to get back in action after suffering the severe ankle injury.

She explained her timeline to Fox News Digital.

“As of now, I get my X-rays done mid-June. So X-rays, MRIs, to see how the growth is – did my bones fully grow back? All the things,” she said. “But today I was really pumped because I got to squat for the first time. So, I’ve been working with my trainer and my PT and last week I got to move up to a level where we now get to focus on strengthening. So, I will say, it’s so much work. My broken neck was way easier than this and, like, how is that possible?

Nikki Bella confronts Becky Lynch during Monday Night RAW at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Aug. 4, 2025. (Michael Marques/WWE)

“But I was so fired up this morning because to be back in a squat position and even though it’s obviously not the weight I’m used to, but to just start somewhere, it just felt so good. And to do just an actual full workout, and don’t get me wrong, there’s some things I look like a baby deer and my legs shake like no other but I have a starting point. I’m working really hard on trying get my strength as strong as possible for when I get those X-rays because if I can get cleared, like mid-to-late June, then they look at strength, you go through all of these strength tests. I’m trying to get mine as close to there as possible.”

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For now, Bella will have to sit and watch her sister and Paige at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at 8 p.m. ET.