Nikki Garcia gets restraining order against husband Artem Chigvintsev
Former WWE star Nikki Garcia has secured a restraining order against her husband, Artem Chigvintsev, following an alleged domestic violence incident at their home this past August.
TMZ reported that the request was put in this past Monday and was approved by a judge following a sworn statement by Garcia giving detail about how her husband allegedly assaulted her.
He will not face charges from the arrest as the Napa Valley (CA) district attorney stated, among other things, “we have an ethical obligation to only file charges when supported by the evidence.”
He is prohibited from coming within 100 yards of she, their son or their home unless it’s during visitation or exchange of child-ordered court visits. The judge did deny a request for her to leave the country with her son to work on a project. A full hearing is set for October 21st.
The two were married in 2022. Garcia filed for divorce in mid-September.
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TMZ included several details from the aforementioned statement including how Garcia (the former Nikki Bella) alleges Chigvintsev tackled her multiple times and pinned her to the ground while their child was present. She is also claiming he got increasingly angry and snapped at her, allegedly due to her not toasting an English muffin for their four-year-old son and blaming her for making him a picky eater.
After throwing her son’s shoes at her husband, she alleges he grabbed and ran with their son upstairs. When she tried to get into a room where they were in, she said he tackled her and held her there briefly. Another physical altercation allegedly took later place where he had his hands on her chest and she said she felt like she was suffocating.
She also claimed he has been both physically violent and verbally abusive in the past, providing details.
Chigvintsev was not invited to return on “Dancing With The Stars” shortly after his August arrest.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.