John Cena And Nikki Bella's Relationship & Breakup

John Cena and Nikki Bella were once known as WWE's alpha couple, sitting atop the company as the biggest male and female stars.

From their first meeting while in the promotion to getting engaged at WrestleMania, the duo were among the faces of WWE in the 2010s. Cena and Bella also showcased their relationship on the WWE Total Divas reality TV show.

After the two got engaged at WrestleMania 33 in 2017, Cena and Bella split just over a year later, calling off their planned wedding. Despite that ending, their story is one that is remembered by many fans and is worthy of looking back on.

How John Cena Met Nikki Bella

You don’t realise how huge John Cena is until you see him in Nikki Bella’s gear… and his impression was spot on LMAO 😭 pic.twitter.com/YzvSPZf2DY
— Jake Reigns Hive (@left2reigns) August 11, 2025

By the time Nikki and her twin sister Brie Bella signed with WWE, John Cena had already established himself as the top star in the company and a multi-time world champion.

After a few years of the two stars being friends, Cena went on his first date with Nikki Bella in 2012. Bella has described the evening as a "pleasant" one where the two went to a steakhouse and talked for hours.

Romance, Relationship & Total Divas

Cena and Nikki moved in together in 2013, marking a huge step in their relationship. Shortly after this, the couple started filming the WWE Total Divas reality show for the E! Network.

The relationship between Cena and Bella became a focal point of the series, with viewers seeing their ups and downs. The success of Total Divas led to The Bella Twins receiving their own show, "Total Bellas," that saw the relationship front and center once again.

From Cena making Nikki sign a cohabitation agreement to move in with him to their trials and tribulations when it came to what they wanted out of the relationship, the couple's struggles were one of the most memorable parts of the entire show.

Engagement at WrestleMania 33

Ahead of WrestleMania 33 in 2017, John Cena and Nikki Bella found themselves embroiled in a rivalry with another power couple in WWE, The Miz and Maryse.

Mania saw Cena and Bella pick up a win over The Miz and Maryse in convincing fashion. Following their victory, the multi-time WWE Champion got on one knee to ask Nikki to marry him, to which she said yes.

Wedding Called Off & Breakup

Just over one year after their noteworthy engagement on "The Grandest Stage of Them All," Cena and Bella experienced a roadblock when the couple called off their planned wedding in May 2018.

Two months after calling off their special ceremony, the couple announced that they were breaking up after a six-year relationship because they wanted different things out of life, most notably Nikki wanting to have children and Cena not.

Aftermath

After his split from Nikki Bella, John Cena was single for over a year until he met Shay Shariatzadeh. The two went on their first date after meeting in 2019 and soon became a couple.

Then in 2020, Cena and Shariatzadeh tied the knot with a private wedding ceremony in Florida. The two have been happily married for the past five years and can often be seen together on the red carpet and at Cena's film premieres.

Meanwhile, Nikki Bella would go on to have her own notable relationship with Artem Chigvintsev. The two met when they were partnered up on season 25 of Dancing With The Stars.

John Cena sharing a moment with his wife Shay Cena ♥️ pic.twitter.com/z7JLeLZijV
— WrestlingWorldCC (@WrestlingWCC) August 31, 2025

After her relationship with John Cena came to a close, Bella and Chigvintsev's relationship began to blossom, with the two getting engaged in 2019. Nikki and Artem would go on to have a son named Mateo in 2020 and get married in 2022.

Following a five-year relationship and a two-year marriage, problems started to arise. In August 2024, Chigvintsev was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence.

One month later, Nikki filed for a divorce after the couple had filed for restraining orders against one another following their dispute. Bella is trying to move on and is currently enjoying life as a single mother.

In 2025, Bella made her return to the company and has been active throughout the year, competing in the Women's Royal Rumble Match and at the WWE Evolution 2025 premium live event.

This long and storied relationship was most recently brought up on WWE TV during Bella's feud with Becky Lynch ahead of Clash In Paris 2025.

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