Nikki Bella Comments On Heel Turn, Brie Injury At WWE SummerSlam 2026

Following their six-woman tag loss to Fatal Influence at WWE SummerSlam, creative plans called for both Nikki and Brie Bella to betray their respective partner, Paige, through a vicious post-match attack. Brie sustained a broken scapula in the midst of the action before that, however, which meant Nikki had to do most of the deed herself while Brie stood nearby, clutching her injured shoulder.

On the latest episode of "The Nikki & Brie Show," Nikki opened up about the mixed emotions she felt during the heel turn. "It feels good to be bad," she said. "... I can't wait to talk about that ending because I got my payback on when I kept telling you, 'Brie, no, it's broken. No, my ankle's broken, and I kept going.' Brie kept telling me about her shoulder, and then at the very end when she was supposed to help me, she looked at me. She's like, 'Sorry, girl. My shoulder.' I'm like, 'All right, so I'm about to do this in front of like 50, 60,000 people. Feeling a little alone, but that's all right.'"

As Nikki alluded to, she tore, sprained, and fractured her ankle while competing on "WWE SmackDown" along the road to WrestleMania 42. Still, she finished wrestling that night, with Paige then taking her place in a Women's Tag Team Championship match alongside Brie at "The Shows of Shows." Per her recent "SmackDown" backstage segment, Nikki later turned on Paige in response to the former "Anti-Diva" costing them wins at Saturday Night's Main Event and SummerSlam.

"Honestly, I feed off of energy. You know me, I feed off of boos and I am a natural heel," Nikki continued. "It's just easy. Hey, it got number nine on the top 25 moments of SummerSlam weekend. Bella Twins heel turn got number nine."

What is next for The Bella Twins after SummerSlam? Nikki initially looked forward to hitting the road and "mak[ing] magic" with her sister once again in WWE. With Brie unable to wrestle for about three to six months, though, Nikki is now uncertain of what to expect for her immediate future.

"Especially after having such a very big moment after our match, I was very excited to see what's next for the Bella Twins," Nikki said. "It's just always a part of our story. You and I are very much naturally bringing these type of stories that prolong to inspire. But I'm like, okay, well, I guess we're just really making people wait until the Bella Twins officially unite."

Given the aforementioned injury timeline, Nikki noted that she's optimistic Brie will return in time for the 2027 Royal Rumble premium live event, which emanates from their home state of Arizona in February of next year. Last week, WWE figures, including Nikki and Interim Women's Champion Chelsea Green, flew out to the "Sunset State" to make the official announcement.

"I was counting down on the months, and I was like 'Wait, Brie!' What a return if it is the Royal Rumble for you," Nikki said, "depending on your shoulder, maybe it's before, but maybe it's then. To be in Phoenix, Arizona, it was really cool."

Following Nikki's backstage promo on the post-SummerSlam "SmackDown," Paige confirmed that she will appear on-screen next week to respond, with a confrontation between her and Nikki being teased.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Nikki & Brie Show" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.