Nikki Garcia returns to WWE following divorce fallout, pushes for Bella Twins reunion
'She better join me. I mean, it's the only way I sometimes feel like I can win is if I have her,' Garcia said during an appearance on 'Live with Kelly and Mark' on Tuesday, July 8, where she promoted Evolution, WWE's first all-women's pay-per-view event since 2018.
'The fans are speaking really loudly — our Bella Army — they really want Brie back,' she added. 'And I really want her back. I feel like this comeback won't be complete until the Bella Twins are together. So, it'll be iconic.'
Nikki is returning to the ring for the first time in six years to compete in the 2025 WWE Evolution at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Sunday, July 13. The winner earns a shot at the women's championship next month at WWE Clash in Paris.
'I think once you're a professional athlete or wrestler, it's just always in you,' Garcia said. 'You always crave it and we're kind of adrenaline junkies — we thrive on that.'
While TMZ Sports reported Brie was in talks to return, she has denied being contacted. Her last match was in the 2022 Royal Rumble. Nikki, inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame alongside Brie in 2020, returned earlier this year and is now eyeing another title run.
Her return follows a turbulent chapter in her personal life. In December, Garcia opened up on her podcast 'The Nikki & Brie Show,' about her divorce from former 'Dancing With the Stars' pro Artem Chigvintsev, whom she met in 2017 while still engaged to John Cena.
Garcia filed for divorce last August, two weeks after Chigvintsev was arrested at their Yountville home in a domestic violence case. Prosecutors declined to file charges, and the couple settled privately in November.
'It's been really tough,' she said at the time. 'You dream of having this family, and you have this incredible love, and it just goes the other way.'
'It's incredible because the first Evolution we had was history-making,' she said. 'So for it to come back six years later is incredible.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Fitness influencer Joey Swoll quits social media as Hulk Hogan tribute sparks backlash: ‘I'm done'
A renowned fitness influencer and bodybuilder was chased off social media over the vitriol he received for his tribute to Hulk Hogan following the WWE legend's death. Joey Swoll, the 42-year-old 'CEO of Gym Positivity,' declared Monday that he was 'done' with his online platforms as he apologized for dressing up as the mustachioed wrestling icon, which he claimed was a gift from Hogan himself. 'I owe my followers, my community and all of social media an apology,' Swoll told his 8 million followers in a recorded message from the front seat of his car. Swoll had paid tribute to the late Hogan in a now-deleted video in which he wore a Halloween costume resembling the famed wrestler during a workout at Gold's Gym in Venice, Calif. Hogan, born Terry Bollea, died at the age of 71 on July 24 after suffering a 'serious medical issue' at his Clearwater, Florida home. 5 Fitness influencer Joey Swoll addresses his followers after taking down his Hulk Hogan tribute on July 28, 2025. Joey Swoll/X Swoll was known for making videos where he outed 'gym bullies' and held them accountable for the way they treated others on a mission to create a positive gym environment. The social media influencer said he faced backlash from upset followers during a livestream a day after posting the tribute. 'I would be a hypocrite if I didn't hold myself to the same standards. I am human, I am still growing and learning and I promise to all of you I will do better,' he said. 'I have nothing but love and kindness in my heart, I will continue to try and make the world a better place.' Swoll, whose real name is Joey Sergo, then returned to social media on Tuesday to say he was 'done' and that 'people just wait for a reason to hate you.' 'All the good I've done, all the people I've helped, all for nothing. I truly hope all the people I've inspired do great things in their life and pay it forward to help others and carry on my message,' Swoll wrote on X. 'But no matter how much good you do, people just wait for a reason to hate you and tear you down. You either die a hero, or live long enough to be the villain. Thank you for your support. I am done.' 'Instead of listening and understanding like I should've, I became defensive and said 'I was posting to celebrate the wrestling icon, the person so many of us looked up to as kids that we grew up with. That made us tear off our shirts and take our vitamins and say our prayers,'' Swoll said. Swoll had often recycled the workout video dressed as Hogan. In October 2020, he posted the same clip as Hogan's 'Real American' theme song served as the background music. Swoll claims he was unaware of the extent of Hogan's scandals and later researched the wrestler. 'Since last night I have done a lot of research and learned all of the horrible, horrible things that man has done, which is way more than just making a mistake and being human,' Swoll said. 5 Joey Swoll wears a Hulk Hogan Halloween costume in an old video he reposted to pay tribute to the wrestling icon on July 25, 2025. Joey Swoll/X 5 Hulk Hogan at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee on April 27, 2007. George Napolitano / The WWE star was fired from the company in 2015 when video resurfaced of him using racial slurs in 2007. Hogan admitted to steroid use during his early professional career and was caught in a sex-tape scandal with the wife of his former friend, Bubba the Love Sponge. A clip from the video was published by gossip blog Gawker and Hogan sued the company, settling for $31 million and the site's eventual demise. 5 The New York Post front cover on July 25, 2025. csuarez 5 Hulk Hogan poses for photos before a show in Memphis, Tennessee. George Napolitano / Swoll removed the Hogan tribute from all his social accounts and apologized. 'To anyone that I offended, I am sorry,' he said. Swoll said he was met with backlash again, moments later, when he used the word 'colored' instead of the term 'person of color' during the livestream. 'It is a very outdated, very offensive term. Someone educated me and told me that it wasn't ok to use that, which I immediately apologized to everyone and said 'I would never do that again,'' he added.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Together' is sexy & hilarious — it's also, accidentally, the queerest horror film of the year
Together might not have started out as an interrogation of gender, but it accidentally became the queerest horror film of the year anyway. It also happens to be one of the year's best, too The film, which comes from first-time feature director Michael Shanks and stars Alison Brie and Dave Franco (who also produced the movie), introduces audiences to Tim and Millie (Franco and Brie, respectively), an outwardly happy, middle-class, unmarried couple on the eve of a big milestone in their relationship. Millie, a teacher, has taken a new job outside the city, and Tim has agreed to come along, potentially leaving behind his dreams of rock stardom. Tim is also wracked with grief over the loss of his father, which has taken a toll on their intimacy — something Millie is willing to look past, but that secretly gnaws at her. In other words, just beneath the surface of this relationship simmers a stew of resentment and insecurity. The question at the heart of the film is whether they really want to commit to a lifetime together — flaws and all — or if they should, wait for it, no longer be together . Germain McMicking/Neon Moving away from their friends and Tim's gigs only puts more pressure on the fault lines of their already fractured connection. To reconnect, they go for a hike, only to stumble — quite literally — into an underground chamber where something they encounter sets off a chain reaction. What follows is a feverishly toxic bond that only grows more intense... especially when their very flesh seems to want to fuse — once again — together. It's a concept born from Shanks' own romantic history. Like his principal characters, he and his partner have been together since they were quite young, and the film reflects his own anxieties around commitment, toxic enmeshment, and loss of identity. 'It's about how crazy it is in any relationship to kind of fully commit to somebody, to share a life with somebody,' he tells PRIDE. 'It's a weird and scary kind of thing to do.' Ben King/Neon Michael Shanks directs Alison Brie and Dave Franco in 'Together' It's a dynamic that anyone, regardless of sexuality or gender, can relate to — but how it's expressed in the film is where things take a surprising left turn into a post-gender world. It's challenging to discuss without revealing the film's many twists and turns. But without venturing too far into the weeds, the film presents a mythology that renders gender obsolete and even a symptom of something fundamentally broken in humanity. It also features a pivotal queer character who serves as both witness and confidant to Millie and Tim as their life transition becomes more of a — shall we say — transformation. Brie is proud of the way the character's presence is treated casually, and she emphasizes the importance of that approach. 'You don't always have to be making a commentary on it — really, just reflecting the way the world is, where we have all types of couples,' she tells PRIDE. Germain McMicking/Neon Although the film takes a darker view on the subject, in Together, love really is love. As a result, couples of all varieties will see their anxieties and emotions reflected in the story — even Brie and Franco, who are married to one another and creative partners together, found themselves reflecting on their own dynamics while making the film. 'We had a lot of discussions about the differences between toxic codependency and maybe sort of like mild codependency,' says Brie. 'I think we came to realize that we have some codependent tendencies in our relationship, but because of our jobs, we actually end up spending a lot of time apart, so we're able to cultivate really good independence and social circles away from each other. Then, when we come back and work together, it feels really nice.' 'It's healthy to kind of miss each other from afar every once in a while,' adds Franco to PRIDE. 'We don't really have many boundaries, and it might kind of become the toxic version of codependency,' he jokes. Although the film is doubtlessly body horror, it's a rare entry in the subgenre that offers some lightness. Part of that comes from the sharp comedic edge of its cast — and it makes great use of more, shall we say, visceral moments for some shockingly funny sight gags. 'We were debating the other day if this is the first feel-good body horror movie. You do kind of walk away wanting to, like, dance and move your body and you're feeling good,' says Franco. Although he also admits with a laugh, 'We've also heard from single people who've seen the movie who have said, 'This is a strong argument for staying single.'' Germain McMicking/Neon Regardless of where audiences fall on that spectrum, they will undoubtedly also be presented with some fascinating questions about gender, what a post-gender world would look like, and if we're better off without it all. Intentionally or not, the film presents those fascinating questions and leaves you with plenty more to chew on — which is the sign of a great horror film. Together is the most romantic, queerest, and funniest body horror film in recent memory. Brie and Franco are perfectly cast, and their real-life chemistry shines through. It's a rom-com for sickos and queer folks — and that's the highest compliment I can give a film. Together is out now in theaters. Check out the trailer below. Years into their relationship, Tim and Millie (Dave Franco and Alison Brie) find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the ... - YouTube This article originally appeared on Pride: 'Together' is sexy & hilarious — it's also, accidentally, the queerest horror film of the year
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ric Flair on Hulk Hogan's passing: 'I could be next'
Wrestling legend Ric Flair calls in first to reflect on the death of his close friend Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea and gets into how the two met, competing with him and their in-ring chemistry throughout his career, being cancer-free, and much more.
