Nikki Bella — Biography
Stephanie Nicole Chigvintsev, known in the entertainment world as Nikki Garcia, is an American television personality and retired professional wrestler. She gained fame for her role in WWE from 2007 to 2023, where she performed under the name Nikki Bella, partnering with her twin sister, Brie Bella, to form the iconic duo known as The Bella Twins. Presently, she hosts the game show Barmageddon.
Garcia's journey with WWE began in 2007 when she signed with the organization and joined the developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling, alongside her sister. Her debut on the SmackDown brand occurred in 2008. Throughout her wrestling career, she achieved the title of WWE Divas Champion twice, with her second reign lasting 301 days, marking it as the longest in the history of that title. In 2021, both she and Brie were honored with induction into the WWE Hall of Fame as The Bella Twins. In addition to her wrestling endeavors, Nikki featured prominently in the reality series Total Divas and later starred in their own spin-off, Total Bellas.
In the final years of her WWE career, Nikki made occasional appearances but took on the role of an ambassador for the brand. After her contract with WWE concluded in 2023, she and Brie announced their decision to retire the "Bella" surname, opting to revert to their maiden name, "Garcia," for professional purposes, henceforth referring to themselves as The Garcia Twins.
Nikki earned notable recognition during her career, ranking No. 1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Female 50 in November 2015 and being named Diva of the Year by Rolling Stone in December 2015. She also shared the Teen Choice Awards' Choice Female Athlete title with Brie in 2016. In May 2014, Nikki disclosed on Total Divas that she had married her high school sweetheart at the age of 20, although the marriage was annulled three years later. She began a relationship with John Cena in 2012, and they became engaged on April 2, 2017, following a mixed tag-team match at WrestleMania 33. However, the couple ended their engagement on April 15, 2018, just weeks before their planned wedding.
In January 2019, Nikki started dating Artem Chigvintsev, her partner from Season 25 of Dancing with the Stars. They announced their engagement on January 3, 2020. On January 29, 2020, Nikki revealed she was expecting her first child, coinciding with Brie announcing her own pregnancy on the same day. On the finale of Total Bellas' fifth season, aired on June 11, 2020, Nikki shared that she was having a boy, and she welcomed her child on July 31, 2020. The couple wed on August 26, 2022. Nikki and Brie are enthusiastic fans of the Philadelphia Eagles and share Italian
Garcia's journey with WWE began in 2007 when she signed with the organization and joined the developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling, alongside her sister. Her debut on the SmackDown brand occurred in 2008. Throughout her wrestling career, she achieved the title of WWE Divas Champion twice, with her second reign lasting 301 days, marking it as the longest in the history of that title. In 2021, both she and Brie were honored with induction into the WWE Hall of Fame as The Bella Twins. In addition to her wrestling endeavors, Nikki featured prominently in the reality series Total Divas and later starred in their own spin-off, Total Bellas.
In the final years of her WWE career, Nikki made occasional appearances but took on the role of an ambassador for the brand. After her contract with WWE concluded in 2023, she and Brie announced their decision to retire the "Bella" surname, opting to revert to their maiden name, "Garcia," for professional purposes, henceforth referring to themselves as The Garcia Twins.
Nikki earned notable recognition during her career, ranking No. 1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Female 50 in November 2015 and being named Diva of the Year by Rolling Stone in December 2015. She also shared the Teen Choice Awards' Choice Female Athlete title with Brie in 2016. In May 2014, Nikki disclosed on Total Divas that she had married her high school sweetheart at the age of 20, although the marriage was annulled three years later. She began a relationship with John Cena in 2012, and they became engaged on April 2, 2017, following a mixed tag-team match at WrestleMania 33. However, the couple ended their engagement on April 15, 2018, just weeks before their planned wedding.
In January 2019, Nikki started dating Artem Chigvintsev, her partner from Season 25 of Dancing with the Stars. They announced their engagement on January 3, 2020. On January 29, 2020, Nikki revealed she was expecting her first child, coinciding with Brie announcing her own pregnancy on the same day. On the finale of Total Bellas' fifth season, aired on June 11, 2020, Nikki shared that she was having a boy, and she welcomed her child on July 31, 2020. The couple wed on August 26, 2022. Nikki and Brie are enthusiastic fans of the Philadelphia Eagles and share Italian
