Sunday’s Total Bellas finale was quite the revelatory affair for Nikki Bella. Not only did the WWE superstar announce her retirement (months after her sister Brie Bella did the same), she also went on to confirm her relationship with Dancing With The Stars dancer Artem Chigvintsev.
The finale for the E! reality spin-off closed with Evolution, the first all-female event in WWE history, and then ventured to Napa Valley before revealing to her family that she had a house in Los Angeles, and was sharing her life with her former DWTS partner.
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“I just feel like this free spirit. Truly like a butterfly out of her cage. I don’t know, I have this new level of excitement,” Bella said during the final before riding off into the sunset on Chigvintsev’s motorcycle. “I’m ready to really explore new things and people and just really see what certain chemistries are all about.”
The former WWE Women’s Champion added some sugar on top of the finale reveal by sharing a cuddly image on Instagram with her new romance.
“Well after that season finale,” Bella started her caption on the photo. “First thing I’ll be talking about this Wednesday…oh and all those paparazzi photos (thanks for the great shots and smashing my food lol).”
The relationship had been hinted at for months before going official on the reality show. Prior reports indicated that Bella was “moving forward” with her new relationship with the DWTS pro after dating “for a while.”
Bella had originally said she wasn’t ready for a serious relationship so soon after almost marrying WWE superstar John Cena.
“I’m not looking to be serious with anyone right now,” she told Access Live at the time. “I’m just looking to have fun. I’m just in a fortunate position that I get to go on these dates with a lot of amazing guys. I mean, not a lot, it’s only been a few.”
She did indicate that Artem was one of those men, saying he was “one of the people I like to have fun with. He’s a good friend.”
The news and finale also comes weeks after Bella told TMZ that she saw “no future” with Cena going forward. An interview with Us Weekly in February featured Bella praising Cena while saying they were “as good as being apart can be.”
“I’ve always been grateful to have John in my life and to have a man like that. He’s an amazing man. And even through such a hard breakup, he has been truly so amazing.”
