Nikki Bella appears to be closing in on an in-ring return after sharing a positive update on her recovery from injury.
The WWE Hall of Famer has been sidelined since suffering an ankle injury ahead of WrestleMania 42 Night One. Nikki Bella had originally been scheduled to compete for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship at the event, but Paige‘s return took her place, and she went on to win the titles alongside Brie Bella.
Now, Nikki has offered an encouraging sign that her comeback may not be too far away.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Bella shared a series of photos and videos showing herself back inside the ring training as she continues her rehabilitation.
🚨NIKKI BELLA IS BACK TO IN-RING TRAINING
SHES COMING! 💋 pic.twitter.com/tDvPuOKGfx
— maisha ★ (@BRIZEEMODE) July 5, 2026
While neither Bella nor WWE has confirmed when she will be medically cleared to compete again, the footage suggests she is making good progress in her recovery.
Bella has not wrestled since being forced out of the WrestleMania 42 title match, but her latest update will no doubt provide optimism for fans hoping to see her return to WWE television in the near future.
Nikki Bella’s Third WWE Run So Far
Nikki Bella made a surprise return to the WWE on February 1, 2025, at the Royal Rumble, where she competed in the Women’s Royal Rumble match, eliminating Bayley before being eliminated by Nia Jax.
She then made a second appearance on the June 9 episode of Raw that year to promote the second Evolution pay-per-view and was interrupted by Liv Morgan in what was supposedly a planned match at Evolution, but those plans never came to fruition. Instead, Bella competed in the 20-woman Battle Royal for a future world title shot but was unable to win.
Bella then had her first singles match since 2018, the following night on Raw, defeating Chelsea Green. Bella then feuded with Becky Lynch over the Women’s Intercontinental Title, culminating in a match at the Clash in Paris event, where Bella was again unsuccessful.
Bella turned heel by attacking Stephanie Vaquer on the November 10 episode of Raw, and challenged Vaquer to a Women’s World Title Match at Survivor Series, but was again unable to capture the title.
Nikki returned as a face at the 2026 Royal Rumble alongside Brie Bella, but an injury forced her to step away from WWE.
