Nikki Bella on Getting Neck Surgery, and Being Told She’d Never Wrestle Again

Last year, Nikki Bella was told that she would never be able to wrestle again after undergoing neck surgery to repair a herniated disc. But, as we all know by now, she’s back in the ring, and she’s one of the top women on the SmackDown brand.

During a recent interview with the Gorilla Position podcast, Nikki discussed trying to avoid neck surgery, getting neck surgery, and her reaction to being told that she would never be able to wrestle again.

On trying to avoid neck surgery:

“When your legs and feet start to go numb, you just started to realize, like, ‘Okay, somethings happening.’ I was out for so long because we were trying so much to avoid surgery, even though every surgeon was like ‘You can’t avoid this, nothing is going to fix this,’ but I still had hope like ‘No, I’ll do this or I’ll do that, this all should help,’ but none of it did.”

Reaction to being told she’d never wrestle again:

“With this surgery, the craziest thing was finding out, ‘Oh, by the way, you can never wrestle again, this is it for you,’ and I was like, ‘I’m just not going to accept that.'”

On returning to the ring:

“I was so grateful to be back in the ring, every time I step foot in that ring it’s honestly a blessing. I think that’s why I have a permanent smile on my face now. Whoever would have thought I’d make a good babyface, but it’s just because every time I walk out, I’m like ‘Yay! I could actually do this.”

Nikki is reportedly still dealing with some neck issues, and rumor has it that her match at WrestleMania 33 will be her retirement match.

Do you think Nikki Bella has been a good babyface since she returned this past summer? Will she retire following WrestleMania 33? Let us know in the comments below, or over on Facebook!