Nikki Bella Wrestling With Hall Of Fame Expectations At WWE Clash In Paris

Sunday afternoon in Paris, France, Nikki Bella will step back into the ring with the opportunity to capture her first singles championship in over a decade. The WWE Hall of Famer goes one-on-one with the greatest female Superstar of all-time (it's not just her saying that, we here at Sports Illustrated have said it), Becky Lynch, with the WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship on the line. 

"I'm very excited. Of course, there's nerves there and some pressure," Bella admitted to The Takedown on SI. "No matter how much you train, it never prepares you for the intensity that a title match brings. Paris is one of the most amazing crowds. There's gonna be 20,000 people in that arena... and I'm a Hall of Famer. I have a certain elevation that I have to keep."

Bella was a surprise entrant in the Women's Royal Rumble Match back in early February, which brought an end to her three year hiatus from WWE. It was well-received homecoming that Nikki had immediate designs on turning into an extended stay, rather than a one-off appearance to simply generate an nostalgia pop from the crowd in Indianapolis.

Those plans were just getting into motion ahead of WWE Evolution earlier this summer when they were almost immediately derailed. Nikki was in line for a major program with Liv Morgan, who unfortunately suffered a separated shoulder that required surgery and will likely keep her out of action until early 2026.

The former WWE Divas Champion has had to navigate some uncertain creative waters in the weeks since, which she admits has been a bit of a challenge. But a challenge is exactly what Bella was searching for when she decided it was time to lace up her boots once again.

"I'm really here to give my equity to others," Bella said. "I know I'm not gonna be here forever. Maybe that's only gonna be a year, maybe it's gonna be a few months, who knows? But I really just wanted to help out and I wanted to just earn my spot again."

Being a WWE Hall of Famer carries with it a certain level of expectation. When Nikki Bella locks up with The Man on Sunday, she's representing not only herself and her status as one of the all-time greats, but an entire era of WWE Divas that do not often receive the level of respect they deserve.

Nikki is also out to help flip the script on the double standard that female performers in the pro wrestling industry have a limited shelf life, so to speak, while their male counterparts can wrestler well into their 40s and 50s - often without question or judgement. 

It's the same battle that Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair have been fighting since they returned to the ring earlier this year and Nikki Bella is determined to be ally in the trenches for as long as possible.

"Why can't women my age do it too? Why does it always have to be for one big PLE? We come in for a few weeks and then we're gone. Why can't we come in for a while and see how I can hang with the younger era? I'm not here to take spots, I'm here for anything to help the people that we need to make."

Nikki Bella is aiming to find her place in today's era of WWE

The challenges of returning to the ring full-time have come in waves for the WWE Hall of Famer, all of which are impeding her path, in one way or another, to finding where she best fits in today's pro wrestling landscape.

The question of where she belongs was an easy one to incorporate into her conflict with the reigning Women's Intercontinental Champion, as Becky Lynch herself is fiendishly fending off the young and hungry generation behind her.

"What I love about [the story with] Becky is it just happened organically. It just became very natural, and I love when stories are that way, when they're not forced. It's like, we've never done this before. You've taken time off. This is now the Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY era. My era was before yours, so where do you fit in, when you're saying I don't fit in?"

One of the main complications for Nikki to overcome during her return to primetime television has been the late night aspect of performing on Monday Night Raw.

Having spent that last several years at home with a young child, Nikki has grown used to the Raw airtime being the Bella bedtime. Finding the energy to perform and have her head hit a wrestling mat, when it's used to hitting a pillow, has been an adjustment. One of many as a matter of fact.

"I've overcome a lot of injuries. I'm in my forties. You're in this place where recovery has now become the main part. You have to look at everything overall, like jet lag. These are the hours off. Maybe I just stay overseas and prep for my title match, so jet lag isn't a factor. It's kind of crazy how you look at things now."

Sunday afternoon in Paris will be the latest bench test in the Bella comeback. And whether she wins the Women's Intercontinental Champion or not, Nikki is ready for the opportunity to prove herself all over again.

"It'll be very interesting to see [where I'm at] after Sunday. When I had that singles match with Chelsea [Green], it kind of laid down the foundation of, okay, this is where you're at and this is where we need to go."

WWE Clash in Paris will go live Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET on Peacock in the United States, and Netflix internationally. We'll have more from our conversation with Nikki Bella this weekend here on The Takedown on SI.