At WWE Clash in Paris, Nikki Bella challenged Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship but came up short. The real drama, however, came from the commentary. During the pre-show, Wade Barrett said Nikki was rusty and “desperate” to prove herself against today’s generation of stars.
On her “Nikki and Brie Show,” Nikki Bella addressed Wade Barrett’s remarks, saying she wanted to talk but felt he avoided her at RAW. She wasn’t offended, recognizing his heel commentator role, but noted Michael Cole balances storytelling with respect. Nikki emphasized that wrestlers are real athletes who bring genuine life experiences into the ring.
“I would love to have a conversation with Wade Barrett. He avoided me on Monday, which was shocking because he always comes up and says Hi to me. He tried to avoid making eye contact with me in the hallway. I understand when you wanna be a heel commentator and stuff, but then there’s one thing of like… Michael Cole does this beautifully, and this is why Michael Cole’s one of the greatest commentators; he knows how to take a life story and put it into what we do. Because that is real. We don’t go out there as robots or as superheroes. We are actually professional athletes, and we go through real things, and we have to put that a part of it. And honestly, that stuff really doesn’t bother me because I get it. I was watching the pre-show, and I saw what Wade was saying about me, even on the pre-show, and I was sitting there getting ready in the locker room like, ‘Oh. Okay. That’s fine.”
Barrett later addressed the situation on social media. He denied intentionally avoiding Nikki and said he’d be more than happy to have that conversation directly. He added that they did say hello at RAW and expressed confusion over her claims.
“I had no idea Nicole felt this way, and I’m happy to have this ‘conversation’ any time she likes. I wish she’d brought it up when we said hello to each other at Raw, rather than via her podcast. I don’t understand the avoiding claim at all, simply not true.”
I had no idea Nicole felt this way, and I’m happy to have this ‘conversation’ any time she likes. I wish she’d brought it up when we said hello to each other at Raw, rather than via her podcast. I don’t understand the avoiding claim at all, simply not true. https://t.co/H7lkgKxkp0
— Stu Bennett 🏴🇺🇸 (@StuBennett) September 5, 2025
For now, the situation seems to be more about miscommunication than conflict, leaving fans curious if Nikki and Wade will clear the air publicly.