Nikki Bella on Paige's Promo Being Cut From SmackDown and How Best to Move Forward

Nikki Bella and Paige engaged in a war of words on social media late last week because there wasn't enough time on the August 14 episode of WWE SmackDown to tell the next chapter of their rivalry.

The WWE Hall of Famer turned on her longtime friend at SummerSlam after Paige and The Bella Twins lost their six-woman tag team match against Fatal Influence. Nikki then explained her motivations for the post-match attack the following week, and Paige was scheduled to issue her retort this past Friday night. And then she didn't.

Paige's pre-recorded promo segment ended up being cut from SmackDown due to time constraints and was instead released among a series of digital exclusives after the show went off the air.

Paige responds to Nikki Bella’s threat to make her life miserable! 👀@Saraya | #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/9u8tirU0pQ
— WWE (@WWE) August 15, 2026

Nikki Bella is ready to take her story with Paige online if need be

While hosting this week's episode of the Nikki & Brie Show, Nikki Bella spoke about the importance of being able to pivot and how social media was a vital tool on Friday night.

“I love how we got into our Twitter war," Nikki said. "When her segment got cut, I was like, ‘What did you have to say?’ It’s such a great heel thing. When they posted her promo back at me, I was like, ‘Was this during the commercial break?’ Knowing it’s an online exclusive. It was making people so mad. It’s so fun. I love it."

Paige's promo was far from the only segment that was trimmed from the show. Blake Monroe, Giulia, Shinsuke Nakamura, The Miz, Kit Wilson, Matt Cardona, Ricky Saints and Fraxiom all filmed content last week that ended up airing online instead of on The USA Network.

The two-hour SmackDown restriction makes it tough for many locker room talents to be featured on a weekly basis. Nikki says she's constantly brainstorming ways to adjust, and if her story with Paige plays out primarily online, then so be it.

“It brought me back to a decade ago. I need to be prepared for these things that might get cut. I was like, ‘We always made the most of things.’ It’s how we fought and made us want to break barriers more. I was getting very creative. It would almost be great to keep getting cut and making this an online thing with Paige because we do have so much equity and star power. We come from the reality era, too. We’ve done so much that goes beyond the ring. It’ll work. I have a lot of ideas, and I’m prepared for whatever happens and to ruffle feathers."

Neither Nikki Bella nor Paige is specifically assigned to Friday Night SmackDown. They are listed as free agents on WWE's website. A simple solution may be to transfer their story over to Raw, where there is more television time and space in the women's locker room.

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