Real reason why Nikki Bella used John Cena's move on RAW

WWE star Nikki Bella has been in the news after this week's episode of RAW. The star was in a high-stakes triple threat match for the Women's World Championship.

The final episode of the red brand for 2025 featured a huge triple-threat match for the Women's title. Stephanie Vaquer defended the gold against Raquel Rodriguez and Nikki Bella. Although the challengers could not dethrone La Primera, Bella was in the headlines for her performance. Midway into the encounter, Nikki slapped on what looked like an STF on Raquel. The crowd popped for this and started chanting, "Thank you, Cena." Nikki, in her typical heel attitude, addressed the chants, stating that the fans should be thanking her.

In the aftermath of the encounter, Bella has clarified why she put on the STF. In a recent tweet on social media, The Fearless One detailed that fans had been asking her for a tribute to Cena. She felt this was a quick nod to her former boyfriend's legacy. However, she quickly reiterated that she would call the move the Fearless Lock.

"You all kept wanting a tribute from me geeezz so here ya all go… but… that’s the Fearless Lock," she wrote.

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Nikki Bella had an eventful 2025

This week's encounter was clearly Nikki's best performance this year. The star had an eventful year with a return at the Royal Rumble and several matches throughout 2025.

Nikki had memorable matches against Becky Lynch, Stephanie Vaquer, Roxxanne Perez, Asuka, and Chelsea Green, among others. She has gotten better with every match and looks poised for a strong 2026.

The Hall of Famer has hinted at a possible retirement, claiming that her current run with the company is her final. It will be interesting to see if she can win championship gold before the end of her career.

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Edited by Prityush Haldar