Nikki Bella Explains Why She Thanked John Cena During WWE Hall of Fame Speech

Nikki Bella surprised everyone when she thanked her ex John Cena during her speech at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in April. Entertainment Tonight recently spoke to Nikki and Brie Bella about the speech, and Nikki revealed that Cena played a big role in her career.

“I didn’t think anything about it because when you’re in those moments at the Hall of Fame, you really look at your career and you’re like, ‘Who was there, who helped me along the way?” Nikki said. “And so much of the time people will talk about themselves, and for me, I look at my career and I know that wasn’t just because of me. It was Brie, it was the Bella army, it was the producers, all the people that believed in me, and John was a big part of that. He really helped me be that fearless side and showed me a part of that world that I never saw before. I think just because you have breakups or whatever it may be, doesn’t mean you can’t thank those people and just truly be so grateful for the help that they had.”

Brie also revealed that she thanked Cena for helping The Bella Twins get to where they are now. “The one thing that I always give John Cena credit for, he was the guy who sat in a chair, watched the monitor the whole time. When you came back from your match, he’d give you advice,” Brie shares. “He always cared about everyone’s match and their work and how to help them improve. And I’ll never forget that. And so, I told him all the time, and also I was their third wheel, it’d always be all three of us traveling all the time. So, I was like, the memories and how much you just always gave us great advice, I’ll never forget that. It’s why we’re here.”

Nikki and Cena were together for six years and got engaged at WrestleMania 33 in 2017. They planned to get married on May 5, 2018 but called off the engagement one month prior. Nikki is now engaged to her Dancing with the Stars partner Artem Chigvintsev, and the couple has a child together. Cena married girlfriend Shay Shariatzadeh in October after dating for over a year.