Nikki Garcia Is Back in the Ring as Nikki Bella at the Royal Rumble for First Time Since WWE Retirement, Divorce

Nikki Garcia made a sassy appearance at the 2025 Royal Rumble!

The Total Bellas alum, 41, stepped out at the annual WWE event at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Saturday, Feb. 1. As she made her entrance into the arena, she was introduced to the crowd as Nikki Bella, per a post on X from WWE.

A clip shows Garcia confidently strutting down a long catwalk toward the ring with her hands up in the air as the audience cheered and applauded. She even paused to do a few dance moves and later whipped off her jacket-style top to reveal her red two-piece wrestling look underneath.

"The WWE Hall of Famer, one of the most courageous women on the planet … Nikki Bella is back!" an announcer can be heard saying. "For the first time in three years, Nikki Bella is here at the Rumble."

"What a moment for the WWE," the announcer added.

Related: Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev's Relationship Timeline

This marks Garcia's second public appearance after finalizing her divorce from Artem Chigvintsev following months of legal battles. Garcia filed for divorce from the former Dancing with the Stars pro in September, just weeks after he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.

Chigvintsev did not face criminal charges, with the Napa County District Attorney saying there was not enough evidence at the time. They were granted protective orders against one another, which remained in place until they reached a divorce settlement through private mediation in November.

Garcia returned to her podcast, The Nikki & Brie Show, on Dec. 2, where she offered an update on her life following the arrest and divorce. She began the episode by saying she would "try my best not to get too emotional.”

"I disconnected from social media, from the world, and I just knew that I needed to disconnect because first things first, I'm a mom and my son's protection and privacy is the most important. So I was gonna do whatever it took for that most importantly, and then just needing space for healing, for facing trauma head on, all of that," she said, referring to Matteo, the 4-year-old son she shares with Chigvintsev.

"It's been really tough,” she continued. “I've been heartbroken. Sad. You know, you dream of having this family and you have this incredible love and it just goes the other way. And you go from having a great love story to having a terrible one. And I never saw any of it coming, you know, as far as, like, what the ending would be."

Related: Nikki Bella Says 'Trying to Fix Someone' Can't Bring 'Happiness' Following Divorce from Artem Chigvintsev After His Arrest

Emphasizing that her son is her priority, Garcia added: "I tried to handle this whole situation even though I was in so much pain. I was just trying to do what was best for everyone."

"I do want to continue to protect Mateo in those ways because that's what's been the hardest part about all this, and that's been so heartbreaking. I didn't know that your heart can break that many times in such a short period of time."

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Chigvintsev and Garcia were married from 2022 until 2024, with his arrest coming just days after the pair celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary. They initially met when they were paired on DWTS, but Garcia was in a relationship with John Cena at the time. They reconnected several months later and got engaged in 2019.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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