Because it features two sports entertainers and has played out on pro wrestling shows and on the similarly manufactured world of reality television, John Cena and Nikki Bella’s relationship has always drawn “work or shoot?” discussion. Hell, allegations it’s staged for the cameras were part of the WrestleMania 33 feud between the couple and Miz and Maryse.
It’s a shoot with a work within a work. Or something, brotherdudejack.
The news of Cena and Bella deciding to end things weeks before a targeted destination wedding date, and about a month before the premiere of Total Bellas season 3 on E!, won’t quiet that kind of speculation, either.
Especially when the press hyping the new episodes describes the season thusly:
“Season 3 of Total Bellas gets underway as Brie decides that she wants to join her sister and Cena in San Diego, but faces resistance from her husband, Bryan, who is not interested in moving. As the wedding creeps closer and plans are being finalized, thinking about the future forces Nikki and Cena to have a truly honest conversation about major life decisions that they don’t see eye to eye on. Meanwhile after two years of extensive evaluations, Bryan gets the exciting news he has been waiting for — he is cleared by WWE to return to in-ring competition.”
And the above trailer includes a teary scene which ends with Cena suggesting they call off the wedding:
John: I will never force you not to be a mom.
Nikki: I thought I could really sacrifice that, and I just can’t.
John: I’m not sure we should go through with this.
This certainly seems like a logical reason why the two would decide to split. Bella thought she could make this sacrifice, but with a now-or-never deadline pending, she couldn’t. Cena, ever the supportive partner, backed her decision.
It would also fit the “angle”.
We want to be as sympathetic as possible to two people who just made a major, heartbreaking life decision. But we’ve also been presented with the whole of their relationship as a storyline for our consumption. When it looks like the end of their time as a couple will play out the same way, aren’t we supposed to speculate and gossip about it?
Pro wrestling (and reality TV), everybody!