Nikki Bella explains why she and John Cena had to hide their relationship for so long
WWE SmackDown superstar Nikki Bella was engaged to her long-time boyfriend, John Cena, at WrestleMania 33 on Sunday, after the two took down The Miz and Maryse in the ring.
The build to that mixed tag match made for one of the best feuds in professional wrestling, as all four participants brought their A-game on a weekly basis. There were savage burns, low blows, ridiculous impersonations of the 'Total Bellas' program that features Nikki and twin sister Brie, and all of the wrestling shenanigans you could possibly want.
In the days leading up to The Ultimate Thrill Ride in Orlando, FOX Sports' Wrestling Compadres sat down with Nikki to talk about the match, 'Total Bellas' and much more.
First, Nikki revealed how she felt about the 'Total Bellas Bull [Expletive]' parodies from The Miz, Maryse and Tyler Breeze, telling the Compadres she couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness.
NIKKI: "I mean, I'm not going to lie. I laughed. You know what I realized, too? I'm very easy to impersonate. From the look, to the personality, I'm like, wow.
"When I walk in the halls, I'm just like, 'Oh, there's me, and then there's me.' And then Tyler Breeze's body's actually real hot and tight, so he would turn a corner and I would be just like, 'Oh [expletive], Brie?!
"And I have so much respect for him. One, he's an incredible wrestler. Him and Fandango, they're so fun. I want them to have so much more, but what they do with what they get, I think is incredible. And then Tyler, just how, dressing like me and everything he did, you know, I got to spear him, and give him my finisher."
NIKKI: "They wouldn't allow it for so many years. We were told, 'Not on WWE.' They could see it on 'Total Divas,' 'Total Bellas,' but not on WWE."
LOQUASTO: "What was the reasoning, do you think?"
NIKKI: "What they realized is that when John was in relationships on-screen, it didn't do as well when he was just himself. So the fan base didn't take him in like how that was.
"So after the last on-screen, they were like, no girls with this guy. And I think with a lot of those guys — like, I don't think you'll ever see a girl with Roman (Reigns). There's just certain people that it's just, not that it takes away the 'Superman' feel of them, but a little bit."
Lastly, Nikki shared her reaction when she found out two months ago that she and John would be in the ring together at WrestleMania:
NIKKI: "Literally, you guys, when I found out two months ago about the match, I mean, I immediately was like, 'John, are you okay with that?' Shouldn't he be wrestling The Undertaker? You want to be my tag partner? Like, I felt bad for him.
"And then he was so excited about it, and then of course, deep down, I was doing backflips, like, 'What the ... ? At Mania? You could have given me, like, Backlash, but WrestleMania, I get to tag with the love of my life, like a memory we're going to have forever?' It's been incredible."
