Umair
Nikki Garcia, also known as Nikki Bella, recently opened up about her reunion with ex-fiancé John Cena at the 2025 Royal Rumble.
The WWE star briefly ended her retirement to return to the event in February.
Nikki shared her experience with Kristin Cavallari during the New York stop of her Let’s be Honest podcast tour on March 13.
“It was very quick,” Nikki said, describing her encounter with John. The 41-year-old noted that it’s been “seven [or] eight years” since they saw each other.
Nikki explained that she was in a circle talking to people when John approached to shake everyone’s hand.
“He came to [shake] everyone’s hand. He shook my hand.” Nikki didn’t share if she and John spoke to each other, but the people surrounding them had a notable reaction to their reunion.
“When he walked away, all the girls were like, ‘Oh my gosh,'” she continued. Nikki added that she wanted to “respect” John’s space as he’s now married to wife Shay Shariatzadeh.
“And that was it. It was great because [we were] breaking the ice and we both happened to be back at [WWE] at the same time. It’s a good feeling.”
The American comedian compared this experience to their previous run-in at the same event in 2018. At the time, Nikki said the moment was “hard” to go through, as she was trying to put on a brave face for the Royal Rumble crowd.
“Because of all the John stuff, I feel like I’ve been on such an emotional roller coaster,” Nikki said at the time.
“And today has been like double that. I’m going to be a part of this major historic moment, but I can’t help but have all this John stuff on my mind.”
Now that she and John appear to be on decent terms, Nikki is focused on the next chapter in her life: finding a new partner that can keep up with her.
Nearly three months after she and ex-husband Artem Chigvintsev finalised their rocky divorce, Nikki shared her thoughts on dating.
Nikki, who shares 4-year-old son Matteo with Artem, expressed her desire for a new partner. “I want to be owned,” she told her sister on the February 18 episode of their self-titled podcast. “I want my body rocked.”
The actress also mentioned that she’s not interested in dating or “training younger men.”
