Nikki Bella has revealed that her recent showdown with Becky Lynch at WWE Clash in Paris was not part of the original plan.

The two collided at Sunday’s Premium Live Event, where Lynch successfully defended the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. Speaking on The Nikki & Brie Show, Bella explained that the match was first scheduled to take place on Raw before being shifted to Paris following changes to the card brought on by Naomi’s pregnancy.

Bella shared that she never went home between her appearance in Birmingham and her arrival in Paris, choosing instead to remain overseas to fight off jet lag and focus on her preparation. “So from Birmingham until I arrived in Paris, I didn’t go home because I knew, okay, by the time I go [from] England back to [San Francisco International Airport], then have to do SFO back to Paris, I would really be home for two days, crazy jet lagged and to prepare for a match that originally was going to be on Raw, that got moved to the PLE,” Bella said.

She believes she learned of the change about a week in advance. While Bella is not certain what the Clash in Paris lineup looked like beforehand, she assumed there was only going to be one women’s match scheduled, Naomi defending the Women’s World Championship against Stephanie Vaquer. With Naomi sidelined, the match was scrapped, and Vaquer will now meet IYO SKY at Wrestlepalooza for the vacant title.

Reflecting on her Paris experience, Bella described the opportunity to wrestle in a title match there as a dream moment. She admitted not every spot went smoothly, but the warm reception she received backstage meant everything to her. Even though she faced online criticism, Bella is focusing on the positive energy from the fans and her love for performing.

“This is a part of life and coming back,” Bella said. “Things don’t happen overnight. And if you look at other comebacks, like, I’m not here to do a one-off and go to the [Performance Center] and train the same match for five hours every day to perform that 15 minutes that I just put 30 hours in.

“I’m doing it as I have so much passion and love for this business. And that’s why I was like, I’m not going to let people take away of how much fun I had out there and how I loved every second. I was like in heaven. Like, I truly love wrestling. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m traveling every week.”

Comment - Join WNS (It’s Free!) 

Ready to join the discussion? Sign up in 30 seconds to comment on wrestling news, connect with fans, and track your activity on the WNS leaderboard. Click the link to sign up today - Become a Member (Don't forget to verify your email!).