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Nikki Bella Announces WWE Retirement: I’m ‘Ready to Hang Up the Jersey’

Moving on with her life! The past year has been a whirlwind for Nikki Bella, and now the Total Bellas star is throwing in the towel when it comes to her wrestling career.

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“I just feel like I’m too old for that travel,” Bella, 35, explained during the season 4 finale of the E! reality show on Sunday, March 24. “That travel was really, really rough. So I realized, I was like, ‘Why am I doing this anymore?’ I don’t feel good and I can’t — I mean, the girls are doing amazing things over there. I really am ready to hang up the jersey. Like, I can say it fully, [I’m done.]”

Bella’s reveal comes weeks after her twin sister, Brie Bella, also retired from the ring. After Nikki shared news of her retirement, she and Brie — along with friends and family — celebrated the next chapter of their lives by cheering a drink at the dinner table.

Nikki Bella Announces Her Retirement From WWE
Nikki Bella at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel. Leon Bennett/Getty Images

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Nikki’s career bombshell wasn’t the only news she shared during the Sunday night finale. The athlete finally confirmed her relationship with Dancing With the Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev, months after Us Weekly broke the news of their romance. (They were partners on season 25 of the ABC series in 2017.)

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“I just feel like this free spirit. Truly like a butterfly out of her cage. I don’t know. I have this new level of excitement. I’m just having a lot of fun. And I feel like, the first time ever, I’m focusing on me. It’s crazy. I never in my life would’ve thought that, like, I would’ve had a lot in common with a Russian,” Nikki shared before hopping on the back of the 36-year-old dancer’s motorbike. “I’m ready to really explore new things and people and just really see what certain chemistries are all about.”

Following the episode, Nikki made it Instagram official with Chigvintsev, posting a picture of herself kissing the Shine alum on the cheek. Prior to her relationship with Chigvintsev, the California native was in a six-year relationship with ex-fiancé John Cena, whom she split with in April 2018.

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