Nikki Bella returns to the ring at WWE SummerSlam
Filling in for the suspended Eva Marie, Nikki Bella made her return to the ring on Sunday night at SummerSlam.
Marie was pulled from the scheduled six-woman tag team match featuring SmackDown’s women’s division after her 30-day suspension for a wellness policy violation was announced last Thursday. The match was then briefly advertised as a handicap match, but WWE.com teased that it was possible a replacement partner could be found in time for SummerSlam.
Continuing the ongoing storyline of Marie finding excuses not to wrestle, the reason given for her not being on the show was that she was on vacation in the British Isles after suffering from exhaustion and anxiety caused by hostile WWE fans.
Bella teamed with Natalya and Alexa Bliss to defeat Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Carmella. She picked up the win for her team after pinning Carmella.
Bella received a strong reaction from the crowd upon her return. She had been out of action since October 2015 after suffering a neck injury.
After a lengthy absence, Bella had been teasing that she was preparing for a comeback recently. Dave Meltzer noted in Sunday’s daily update that she had been cleared to return and was slated to be added to the SmackDown roster.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.