"What the heck?" - Nikki Bella was unsure before her first WWE RAW match in 7 years

Nikki Bella was feeling unsure before her first match on RAW in almost seven years. The WWE Hall of Famer, competing in her first bout on the company's flagship weekly show for the first time since 2018, ended up picking up a victory over Chelsea Green.

Nikki put on a decent show and won via pinfall. While this marked a welcome return to action on weekly programming for the former Divas Champion, she was not entirely confident heading into the contest. She was unsure whether she would be able to follow the incredible two-out-of-three falls match between Bayley and Lyra Valkyria for a shot at the Women's Intercontinental Championship.

On RAW Recap, Nikki Bella said she thought WWE was ribbing her by having her compete after the high-octane women's matches on the show.

“That Bayley and Lyra match, I mean, I was looking, going, ‘Wait, I have to follow this? I haven’t wrestled for seven years, and I have to follow this?’ I was like thinking I was getting ribbed, I was for sure getting ribbed. This had to be a full-on rib. They put every single bada** woman on the card tonight. All of them were incredible, and I had to go after all of them. I mean, I should have been the open [sic]. What the heck? I was sitting there, and I'm like, ‘Don’t get in your head, but why am I going last here?'” [42:32 - 43:05]

Nikki Bella had to follow not only the Bayley-Valkyria match but also the tag team contest pitting Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez against The Kabuki Warriors. Still, she was able to hold her own against Chelsea Green, despite interference from Alba Fyre and Piper Niven.

---

Nikki Bella is looking for an extended run this time around

While Nikki Bella has continued to show up in WWE from time to time, she has yet to have an extended run with the company since her retirement. The Fearless One was part of the Evolution Battle Royal before competing on RAW, suggesting she might be looking at a lengthy stay.

“I’m so excited to be part of the battle royal. I want that big moment. To have such a big moment, I really, really wanna win because I think this is the perfect way to start a great comeback—a comeback that isn’t here for just a month or two, it’s here for a while,” she said ahead of Evolution on Busted Open. [H/T: Ringside News]

After her match on RAW, she was attacked by Green, Fyre, and Niven, leading to Stephanie Vaquer coming to her aid. Fans may now see Nikki Bella team up with Vaquer, prolonging her stint in WWE.

---

If you use quotes from the article's first half, please credit RAW Recap and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

Edited by Pratik Singh