Nikki Bella to Miss WrestleMania After Last-Minute Injury Decision: Report

In the world of pro wrestling, things can shift in a matter of seconds.

At last year’s WrestleMania, Rey Mysterio was set for a matchup on the show, but he was injured on the “Friday Night SmackDown” the night before the big two-night event.

The company had to adapt on the fly and have newcomer Rey Fénix replace him with almost zero prep time.

WrestleMania is in the same city and venue as last year, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and the WWE will need to be flexible once again due to a last-minute injury.

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Per multiple reports, Nikki Bella, who sustained an ankle injury on a “Friday Night SmackDown” at the end of March, has not been cleared to compete at WrestleMania 42 and will have to sit out the event.

It’s a tough blow for Bella, who returned to the WWE last year and was going into WrestleMania alongside her sister, Brie, as a duo fighting for the women’s tag titles.

The women’s tag championships were to be defended in a four-way matchup between the Bellas, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and the defending champions, the Irresistible Forces of Nia Jax and Las Legend.

With Nikki’s injury, it remains to be seen what will happen to the matchup. There has been speculation that if Nikki wasn’t able to perform, Brie would also be taken off the card to be replaced by the Kabuki Warriors of Kairi Sane and Asuka.

There is also a chance that the title match turns into a triple threat, or, as WWE is known to do, will adapt and find a new partner for the lone Bella before their match tomorrow, Saturday.

We will keep you updated as this story develops.

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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 3:44 PM.