WWE: Nikki Bella on Her Still Hoping To Be Back From Broken Ankle Injury By June, Backstage Update on Nikki Blackheart’s WWE Signing, Parker Boudreaux Says He Was Released from WWE Right After Getting A Pay Raise

Nikki Bella Comments on Her Still Hoping To Be Back From Broken Ankle Injury By June, Backstage Update on Nikki Blackheart’s WWE Signing,

As noted before, WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella has been out of action for WWE since this past March due to a broken ankle injury and surgery.

USA Today held a recent interview with Bella. One of the topics discussed included Bella providing an update on her recovery from her injury and her still hoping to make a return by this June but she won’t rush it.

“Injuries are so funny. I always try to ask that. (They’re like) ‘not until I see what your ankle looks like in June,’ and I’m like, ‘But if you were to just guess,’ and they’re like, ‘Don’t know, not until June.’ I’m hoping, for me in my head, end of June would be incredible, but I also don’t want to go back too early, because you know the big part about when people get reinjured is because their strength isn’t matching, so I need to make sure the calves, the quads, glutes, I need to make sure they’re all built up.” 

---

Backstage Update on Nikki Blackheart’s WWE Signing

As noted before, indies talent Nikki Blackheart signed an official developmental contract with WWE thus past March following WWE’s talent tryouts that month. WWE officially announced Blackheart’s signing on Wednesday as part of their newest class of signees for their Performance Center and revealed her new ring name of Nicole Martinez.

The Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez reported that his sources stated that Blackheart was heavily on WWE’s radar for a signing after WrestleMania 41 in April of 2025. Alvarez reported that those spoken to stated that Blackheart was in WWE’s top five of talents that they wanted to sign to a deal.

Alvarez reported that Blackheart was heavily praised and recommended by Bayley which led to her tryout basically being a guarantee for her.

---

Parker Boudreaux Says He Was Released from WWE Right After Getting A Pay Raise

F4WOnline held a recent interview with former WWE and AEW talent Parker Boudreaux. One of the topics discussed included Boudreaux revealing that he was released from WWE shortly after getting a pay raise.

“I was grateful for my time in WWE because I could definitely see myself back in WWE soon. And just what an honor to be in the WWE, and I was on TV every Tuesday. I was doing a great job, I thought, because I got a raise, you know, two weeks before I got released. So, um, when I got released, obviously, it was super blindsiding and super unexpected, probably the most unexpected thing in a while. But looking back at it, of course, now I just realize that’s the pro wrestling business. It could’ve been anything, you know? For me, I knew I put my 100% work ethic in there, and now I’ve just grown tremendously internationally, and all these different techniques, living in the dojo in Japan for years. And, you know, just all the things that I’ve done now, I think it’s just showing my passion for it, which I don’t think they maybe was seen when I got from college football to WWE ’cause I just started WWE.”

Boudreux worked for WWE from 2021 until his release in April of 2022.