Summary

Nikki Bella says Nia Jax was not responsible for the ankle injury that forced her out of WrestleMania 42.

Bella addressed the online reaction after the March 27 match that saw her and Brie Bella face Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair. The injury happened early, but Nikki still worked through the rest of the bout and remained part of the post-match attack involving Jax and Lash Legend.

According to Nikki, Jax actually adjusted in the moment once she realized Bella could not put weight on her foot.

Quote from Nikki Bella

"What I want to clear up is that, at first, Nia had gotten a lot of heat online, and she actually helped me. When it came to the end of the match, and the girls had to take us out, I knew at that point, I couldn’t even put weight on my foot. I was in so much pain where I knew it was really bad. I knew what was about to happen. When she came to take me out, I go, 'Please, no. My foot hurts so bad.' She's like, 'Wait, what?' 'I can't get thrown out, I need to step out.' She helped me step out, but people made it like she injured me. No, Nia actually really helped me in that moment. I would have belly flopped on the ground if I had gotten thrown out. I knew I couldn't put my feet down."

WrestleMania 42 fallout for Nikki Bella

Nikki said she fractured, sprained, and broke her ankle in the match. The injury kept her off WrestleMania 42, where she was replaced by Paige. That change became a major part of the weekend, with Paige reportedly set to replace Nikki Bella at WrestleMania 42 before going on to team with Brie Bella to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles.

What Nikki Bella's comments change

Nikki Bella's explanation clears up one specific point around the injury, because she is directly saying the post-match spot with Nia Jax was not what caused the damage. For WWE fans, that shifts the conversation away from blame and back to Bella's recovery, especially after Nikki Bella shared her recovery timeline after ankle surgery.

It also matters because Jax was taking heat online for something Nikki says happened very differently in real time. Based on Bella's account, Jax helped protect her once the severity of the injury became clear.

Sources

Nikki Bella on the Nikki & Brie Show