Did WWE megastar John Cena ignore ex-girlfriend Nikki Bella after their first interaction in years?

John Cena and Nikki Bella were a prominent WWE couple in the 2010s. The duo began dating in 2012 and were even engaged to get married in 2017. However, due to differences, they parted ways and went on to marry different partners. Cena tied the knot with Shay Shariatzadeh in 2020, while Nikki married her Dancing with the Stars partner, Artem Chigvinstev, which ended in divorce in 2024.

Despite going their separate ways, Nikki Bella revealed in an interview that she and her ex-boyfriend had their first interaction after almost eight years at the Royal Rumble 2025 event in February. Instead of ignoring her, Cena had a brief talk and shook her hand along with the other circle of people Bella was standing with backstage. She said, “I was in a circle talking to people. He came to [shake] everyone’s hand. “We just said, ‘Hello, good to see you. I think last time we were engaged. I don’t know, it’s been a while.'” Garcia told host Kristin Cavallari during an episode of the “Honestly Cavallari: The Podcast Tour.”

Nikki Bella returned to in-ring action while John Cena retired from WWE in 2025

John Cena and Nikki Bella were a part of multiple WWE shows in 2025. The Cenation Leader kicked off his farewell tour in January, while Nikki Bella made some brief appearances at the start of the year. In June, The Fearless One returned to in-ring action on a regular basis on Monday Night RAW. Since then, she has competed in numerous matches, including her recent feud over the WWE Women's World Championship.

As for John Cena, he had his final year in WWE as an in-ring performer in 2025. He became a record-setting 17-time WWE World Champion, wrestled some of the best matches of his career, and had his final in-ring encounter at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event in December. The Never Seen 17 squared off against Gunther, which was an explosive showdown as Cena left everything inside the squared circle. However, the match saw an emotional end as Cena tapped out to The Ring General and gave the final salute to the fans before riding off into the sunset. While Cena has retired from wrestling, Nikki Bella is still a part of the active roster and is looking to stick around as WWE kicks off a new year.

Also read: Does Nikki Bella still secretly like and stalk John Cena? Exploring possibility after the WWE Hall of Famer's tribut to him on WWE RAW