NEWSNikki Garcia Details Shocking Reunion With John Cena at 2025 Royal Rumble: 'He’s Married, Be Respectful'
Nikki Garcia found herself face-to-face with her ex-fiance John Cena at the 2025 Royal Rumble in Indianapolis.
March 19 2025, Published 7:30 p.m. ET
In a jaw-dropping turn of events, Nikki Garcia, known to many as Nikki Bella, found herself face-to-face with her ex-fiancé John Cena at the 2025 Royal Rumble in Indianapolis — a surprise that fans are still buzzing about! But despite the heart-thumping encounter, Garcia held off on revealing the exhilarating details for over a month.
“It was very quick,” Garcia, 41, shared on March 13, during a lively on-stage chat with her twin sister, Brie Bella, and Kristin Cavallari in New York City, according to People. The former Total Bellas star recounted that it was the first time she saw Cena, 47, in a staggering “seven [or] eight years.” With Cena now a “married man,” Garcia wanted to navigate the moment with care and aimed to “be respectful.”
Nikki Bella recounted her reunion with ex John Cena.
“I was in a circle talking to people. He came to [shake] everyone’s hand. He shook my hand,” she reminisced. “But the thing was, when he walked away, all the girls were like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I’m like, ‘Shh, shh, He’s married, be respectful.’ And that was it. That was nice. And it was great because breaking the ice and you know, we just both happened to be back at the same time. It’s a good feeling.”
Garcia and Cena’s romance sparked in 2012 after the Suicide Squad star made his move. “The first opening line was, ‘Hey, do you want to go to dinner with me?’ and I was kind of like, ‘What? With me?’” she told TribLive Radio, revealing how their friendship turned into something more.
John Cena proposed to Nikki Garcia in 2017.
The dynamics shifted drastically when Cena proposed in 2017 during Wrestlemania 33. However, their relationship faced turbulent waters, famously airing a moment on Total Bellas where Cena told Garcia she “wasn’t even on the list” to hold power of attorney for him if he was ever on life support.
Fast forward to April 2018, Garcia confirmed their engagement was off just weeks ahead of their planned wedding.
“While this decision was a difficult one, we continue to have a great deal of love and respect for one another,” Garcia penned on Instagram, pleading for that all-important privacy.
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Despite a brief rekindling later in 2018, the couple called it quits for good in July of that year.
“Because I am a reality star, and I do have a reality show … I feel like I have to kind of say what’s the update on John and I, but right now we’re just friends,” she explained to fans in a vlog on July 1, 2018.
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev share 4-year-old son Matteo.
Meanwhile, life marched on as the former WWE diva found love with Dancing With the Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev, who popped the question in November 2019. Cena, too, moved on with Shay Shariatzadeh and married her in October 2020.
Nikki Garcia and John Cena went their separate ways after calling it quits in 2018.
Garcia and Chigvintsev welcomed their son, Matteo, in August 2020, sealing their love with marriage shortly after. However, not all was smooth sailing as Garcia filed for divorce from Chigvintsev in September 2024.
Chigvintsev faced domestic violence allegations — a claim he denied. Authorities dropped the charges, while their divorce wrapped up just weeks later on November 20, 2024.
