It’s not terribly unusual to hear a WWE Hall of Famer criticize the company’s product. But it’s not often we see one do it at a WWE event immediately following a big show.
That’s what Nikki Bella did in this clip that got a lot of traction on social media after SummerSlam.
Asked if she had a favorite moment from the Saturday night (Aug. 21) PPV in Las Vegas, Bella said:
“I can tell you what wasn’t my favorite moment, and it was when she [points to Bianca Belair off camera] lost. That definitely was not my favorite moment. And I don’t know if I actually had a favorite moment, cause I’m always back to the women, and I’m always for the women, and you have someone like Bianca who’s such an incredible talent, and you can’t help but get frustrated when you see moments like that of like a championship that meant so much, and was lost within seconds. So I have to admit, for this SummerSlam, there truly wasn’t anything that was my favorite.”
DAMN
— Jessi Davin (@jessithebuckeye) August 22, 2021
Nikki Bella went off about Bianca Belair’s loss. Go Nikki! pic.twitter.com/tiA7xUFgwU
Nikki wasn’t alone in her criticism of how Becky Lynch ended Belair’s SmackDown Women’s title reign. Those are being met with the usual “let’s see how it plays out” responses, and there’s some merit to that - especially in light of today’s reports about WWE’s plans for The Man.
Shout out to Bella for using her voice though. Love her or hate her, she’s a huge figure in the history of women’s wrestling, both by bringing attention to the WWE roster on Total Divas, and by upping her in-ring game to serve as a bridge between the company’s past salacious presentation of women and the current era.
Who knows if criticism from Nikki carries more weight backstage than fan complaints. Can’t say she didn’t try.