Nikki Bella is already bracing for the possibility that her feud with Paige will continue losing airtime on WWE SmackDown.
The concern grew out of the August 14 episode, when WWE pulled a pre-taped promo that Paige had cut in response to Nikki. As previously reported, the segment was removed due to “logistical issues” and ended up being released exclusively on the company’s digital platforms.
The situation has since become part of the feud itself. Nikki took shots at Paige on social media over her response never making it to television, and Paige fired back about getting cut. On Thursday’s edition of The Nikki & Brie Show (August 20), Nikki revealed she has been putting together backup plans to keep the storyline going even without SmackDown airtime.
“At this point, if it turns into an online story, why not? I was just brainstorming yesterday, preparing. It kind of brought me back to a decade ago. I need to be prepared for these things now that might get cut. I was like, ‘Hey, we always made the most of things. It’s how we fought and made us want to break barriers more.’ I was getting very creative.
It would almost be great to keep getting cut and making this an online thing with Paige because we do have so much equity and star power. Then I started thinking we come from the reality era, too. We’ve done so much that goes beyond the ring.
It’ll work. I have a lot of ideas, and I’m just prepared for whatever happens and to really just ruffle feathers. I’m gonna watch all these movies of these gaslighting men and be taking notes.”
Paige’s promo was far from the only content pulled from last week’s SmackDown. Segments involving Blake Monroe, Giulia, Shinsuke Nakamura, The Miz, Kit Wilson, Matt Cardona, Ricky Saints, and Fraxiom were also bumped to digital platforms.
The Nikki-Paige feud kicked off at SummerSlam on August 1, when Nikki and Brie Bella turned on their former partner following a loss to Fatal Influence. Brie suffered a fractured scapula during the match and is currently sidelined.