Nikki Bella Reveals She's Not Medically Cleared For WWE Return

Nikki Bella is targeting one final run in WWE, with her and sister Brie challenging for the Women's Tag Team Championships, but admitted she is not currently cleared to wrestle as a result of her neck problems. 

Bella last competed in WWE in 2018, facing then Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey in the main event of WWE Evolution. The former Divas Champion revealed in 2019 that a combination of her neck injuries, a herniated disk, and a cyst discovered on her brain meant that she would be forced to retire from in-ring competition. 

Speaking on The Bellas Podcast with her twin-sister, Nikki revealed that she still holds the desire to return to the ring but feels she is at least a year away from it happening, having begun specialised exercises with a doctor in the hope of getting cleared to get back into wrestling. 

She said: "I really want to do a WWE return with Brie and go after the tag titles. That's one thing I really want to do before I hang up the Nikes for good. I want to do one last run. The desire and passion I used to have, all put into that run. When I went back and had the run with Ronda [Rousey], it was a difficult time with the break up and being back there so quick.

"I guess I have been talking about this run as if I'm cleared, which I'm not cleared to wrestle. I saw a doctor last week who is starting to help me with neck strengthening exercises. I'm working on doing everything I can to increase bone growth with bone fusion and helping herniation. Since I haven't done any hardcore impact since my match with Ronda, hopefully the herniation that happened above my bone fusion has gotten better. 

"I hope that somehow, all these things that I'm doing, if I want to do this run, I have to get MRIs and scans and they have to discuss things. They will see this incredible growth and say, 'You're strong, here are your limits, but this is what you can do.' I need to start that a year out. We'll see what a year does, how good the bone grows, how strong my neck can get. Say prayers for me."

H/T Fightful