Close Menu

Nikki Bella Responds After Wade Barrett’s Break From WWE

By
Nikki Bella Responds After Wade Barrett’s Break From WWE

On Friday Night SmackDown, Michael Cole announced that he and Corey Graves will serve as the commentary team on the Blue Brand for the next few months. Reports from PWInsider and Bodyslam confirm that Cole and Graves will now cover both RAW and SmackDown.

This shift comes as Joe Tessitore steps away due to his college football commitments, while Pat McAfee previously left the desk over exhaustion.

The timing of the change sparked online speculation, with some fans linking it to Wade Barrett’s recent remarks about Nikki Bella during the Clash in Paris pre-show. Bella admitted on her podcast that she “wasn’t thrilled” by his comments about her age and noted that Barrett avoided her backstage afterward. However, insider reports make clear this is not the reason for the change.

Barrett himself cleared the air on social media. He explained that WWE granted him a couple of weeks off for personal reasons, planned nearly nine months ago. He emphasized that his commentary role isn’t over, calling the chatter a “complete non-story” and dismissing the rumors.

“I usually ignore BS reports like this, but it’s causing needless hate to be spewed towards people I work with.
WWE have kindly given me a couple of weeks off for personal time (booked nine months ago), and then I’m back to business as usual. A complete non-story. The end.”

Nikki Bella also responded positively, saying she hadn’t expected the story to blow up the way it did. She praised Barrett, apologized for not reaching out sooner, and wished him well during his well-deserved time off.

“lol yes great news! Sorry been off X this week. Thank you Stu!!! This all has been so wild!! Sorry for not coming to you first before chatting with Brie on the pod. 🙏🏼✨🤍 Was not expecting any of this. You know how much love I have for you and loved our chat! So excited for you! Enjoy that well deserved time off! ☺️🙏🏼😘”