Summary

Ivy Nile says her recent bodybuilding competition gave her a different kind of challenge, even after years of living in the gym. Nile competed in the 2026 NPC/IFBB Professional League GRL PWR Championship on April 25 and said the experience pushed her discipline in a new way as she balanced the preparation with WrestleMania season.

Nile said she had been curious about bodybuilding for a long time, but initially hesitated because she did not want the process to damage her relationship with food or training. Instead, she came away encouraged by the way the preparation sharpened her focus, and she said the test run only made her want to continue.

Quote from Ivy Nile

"I've always been curious about it. I didn't know much about it, and I was a little hesitant because I didn't want to get a bad relationship with food or the gym because that's my life. I've been doing it for 20 years, so I didn't think it would happen. I'm jacked [laughs]. I feel like I have the most amazing coaches and we were all in the right mindset and everything made sense. We were leading up to Mania and every Mania, people are getting ripped and getting shredded. Bianca Belair did a show not that long ago, either. She was going through WarGams at the time and was cutting. She looked incredible. I was like, 'If she can do that, I think I can do it too.' It took some time for me to actually pull the trigger on it, but there's nothing quite like that discipline. I'm disciplined, but this was very different. It's always something I wanted to try and see what that world is about because it really goes hand in hand with wrestling. It's discipline, looking a certain way, and also being a beast. You can see the change in my body over the past few months. I was doing appearances in Vegas a week before my show. I was in my cutting phase and shredded and ripped. It was very motivating too because whenever I get my Mania moment, I'm going to look crazy. This year was kind of like a test run. I was kind of testing out the waters. Whenever my time is ready, I can do this. I did physique and bodybuilding, won both categories, and won overall. I can't wait to continue that journey."

Nile later discussed how much it meant to have Belair and Montez Ford in her corner during the event.

"She is so supportive. When I first told her about it, she knew how difficult it is. She knew the work that went into it and how much discipline it took. She was like, 'Tell me when your show is and I'm there.' She and Montez showed up, and I had the best hype crew. They went off. It was so awesome. To have her there supporting meant the world to me. She is expecting, so it's awesome that she took the time to do that. Hopefully, one day, we can do one together. It's my dream to wrestle her, too. She set the bar so high. She's an amazing person. We miss her dearly, but we're all so excited for her to have his baby."

What this could mean for Ivy Nile and Bianca Belair

Nile tying this competition back to her eventual "Mania moment" stands out because she clearly sees the bodybuilding process as part of preparing for a bigger WWE opportunity, not just a side project. That makes this feel like a personal milestone she wants to carry into her next television run.

Her comments about Belair also reinforce how much Belair's current absence still hangs over the division. Nile openly called a match with Belair a dream bout, and that adds another possible direction for the future once Belair returns from the absence she recently explained in speaking about why she started a family during her WWE time away.

Sources

Ivy Nile while speaking with WBIR Channel 10