Nikki Bella says son didn't know men could be wrestlers. ‘My own little feminist'
The 41-year-old professional wrestler shares one son, Matteo, with her ex-husband and former 'Dancing with the Stars' pro Artem Chigvintsev, whom she was married to from 2022 to 2024.
The couple welcomed Matteo on July 31, 2020, according to People.
During a July 9 appearance on the 'Today' show, Bella was asked how being a mother has affected her wrestling as she makes her return to the WWE six years after announcing her retirement.
'As he's gotten older, I'm like, 'Awh, one day I just want Matteo to be ringside watching his mom do what she does and what she did for a majority of her life,' she told the 'Today' crew.
'So, now I'm getting that opportunity,' she added.
Bella went on to discuss how being a female in a male-dominated sport has affected her son's view of wrestling and wrestlers.
'I feel like we're in this day now where these little boys get to be raised up seeing their moms be career women (and) be, like, really strong women — empowering women,' she explains.
'He gets to see that up close and personal,' she said of Matteo. 'It's like raising my own little feminist.'
Bella later joked that her son didn't even know male wrestlers existed until he saw one.
'He literally thought wrestlers were only female wrestlers. When I showed him some of the men, he was like, 'Those aren't wrestlers!' Bella said on the 'Today' show.
With her return to the ring looming, Bella (born Nikki Garcia) is looking forward to having 'one more moment' to shine.
On July 7, the Hall of Famer announced that she'll be competing in WWE Evolution at State Farm Arena — the WWE's second-ever all-female premium live event — in Atlanta on Sunday, July 13.
The announcement came in a promo during the WWE's July 7 episode of 'Monday Night Raw.'
'I want one more moment to prove to the fans, my Bella Army, of what I can do,' she said in the promo. 'I want one more moment to show my son what the WWE universe has seen.'
Her return comes roughly 17 years after she made her WWE debut alongside her twin sister, Brie Garcia (known collectively as the Bella Twins), on SmackDown.
The twins announced their retirement in 2019 after their contracts with WWE came to an end.
Brie Bella was the first of the twins to be named a WWE Divas Champion in 2011, while Nikki Bella won it in 2012 and 2014. Both sisters were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
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