Nikki Bella Alleges WWE Negligence Following Severe Neck Injury
How WWE handled the injury that ultimately ended Bella's full-time wrestling career.
Nikki and Brie Bella's dual memoir, Incomparable, hit bookstores on 5 May, and features, amongst other things, a breakdown of how WWE handled the serious neck injury Nikki went under the knife for shortly after her 301-day Divas Championship reign ended in late 2015.
The issue forced Bella out of action for 10 months. She eventually mounted a comeback in a slightly reduced capacity before stepping away from the ring entirely, forced to do so by more neck-related complications and the cyst found on her brain.
"I asked for an MRI but was told that it wouldn't show anything," said Nikki of her injury. "They had no answer when I explained that my legs were going numb and giving out on me in matches, that I could only lie down in bed for a few hours at a time. Finally, I had an MRI. I was in Austin, Texas, and I was backstage. A doctor came up to me to say: 'Just so you know, we're not going to find anything.' I would have given anything for that to be true."
She went on to describe her frustration, theorising that if she was a male wrestler, she'd have received "radically different treatment."
Bella last wrestled on a November 2018 house show. She and partner Artem Chigvintsev are currently expecting their first child, having announced their engagement this January.