Nikki Bella’s return to the ring for WWE Evolution II edition wasn’t just a one-off stint. After being away from competition for almost seven years, she returned with a new mindset about proving something in this modern era of the WWE. Showcasing her fearless side, the veteran looked forward to setting up fresh feuds and matches with the current locker room members, as well.
Competing at the Evolution Battle Royal on the titular premium live event on July 13, Nikki Bella had the opportunity to tangle with talents from WWE’s present and future. After the match, she seemed eager to explore singles matches with some of them. Specifically, she also had a singles program in mind with a top talent who experienced a meteoric rise in the WWE over the past several years.
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Citing similarities to another pioneer WWE figure from the Divas division, Paige, Nikki Bella admittedly wanted to dance in the ring with none other than Rhea Ripley. The WWE Hall of Famer sounded keen on having a full-fledged feud with the top babyface star power of the women’s roster. As a heel figure, she expected to bring out more from Ripley just like she did with Rousey during the inaugural Evolution PLE.
“One of my main ones [I want to wrestle] is Rhea Ripley,” Nikki Bella told in an appearance on Busted Open Radio. “It’s very much similar feels of like how Paige and I were. Paige’s character, Anti-Diva, goth. And what I see with Rhea, it also gives me vibes of how I was with Ronda [Rousey], with Brie by my side. I feel like heel Nikki would be so incredible with her.” (quotes courtesy Wrestling INC)
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Before competing in a match against Chelsea Green on the July 14 episode of Monday Night Raw, Nikki Bella’s last televised singles match took place at the first-ever Evolution premium live event in October 2018 against Ronda Rousey over the Raw Women’s Championship. In some follow-up house shows, she challenged Rousey on two more occasions to come up short.
Rhea Ripley also competed at the first Evolution show in 2018 as a part of the WWE NXT UK roster by defending the Women’s Championship against Dakota Kai in a match that never made it to television. Ripley continued to become one of the star powers of the WWE in the following years, while Nikki Bella would only be seen in a couple of Royal Rumble matches during the course.