7 Ups & 5 Downs For WWE Raw (14 July - Results & Review)

3. Nikki’s Ring Rust

Let’s be perfectly fair, Nikki Bella does not necessarily need to return to the ring at this stage in her life. She has been largely retired for the past seven years, competing in two Royal Rumbles (2022 and 2025) since Evolution in 2018.

The fact that she wants to compete again so her young son can see her wrestle is admirable, and anyone willing to step back between the ropes and bump around deserves a modicum of respect. However, that doesn’t mean they’re immune from criticism for what happens when the bell rings.

Bella battled Chelsea Green, whom she eliminated from the battle royal at Evolution on Sunday night. The two had a pretty basic “move-move-move-chinlock-comeback-move-move-finish” match, with no real rhyme or reason to it. The match still was passable… until the finish, when Nikki tried to pick Chelsea up backward, presumably for the Rack Attack 2.0. The two fumbled around for what seemed like a full minute before Bella hoisted her up and finished her for the win.

Afterward, Alba Fyre and Piper Niven attacked, only for Stephanie Vaquer (the irony since Nikki previously botched the pronunciation of her last name) to make the save.

If Nikki is hanging around for a bit, she is going to need to step up her game. As Corey Graves noted, the women’s roster is a lot deeper than it was when Bella was last a regular performer. If she’s struggling to keep up or have a clean match, it’s going to become awkward out there.

But Monday was Nikki’s first singles match in nearly seven years, so this is more of a precautionary “down” than anything.