Nikki Bella returns to WWE and immediately books herself in a match at SummerSlam

Tonight’s (July 24) episode of SmackDown featured a singles match between Brie Bella and Lainey Reid. This match came about after Fatal Influence cheated right in front of the referee to win the WWE women’s tag team championship from Brie and Paige last weekend at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The heels tried to use similar tactics to cheat in this match, but it backfired this time and Brie pulled out the victory. The rest of Fatal Influence quickly stormed the ring for a 3-on-2 beatdown on the former tag team champions. But just when it looked like the sore losers were going to stand tall, Nikki Bella’s music hit and she ran in for the save. This is the first time Nikki got physical in a WWE ring since injuring her ankle prior to WrestleMania 42, roughly four months ago. NIKKI BELLA is BACK!!! The odds are even and we got ourselves a Six-Woman Tag Team Match set for #SummerSlam! 🙌@NikkiAndBrie | @Saraya pic.twitter.com/6YMujDnuco — WWE (@WWE) July 25, 2026 Nikki immediately cut