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Paige Sends Message to Nikki Bella Ahead of WWE SmackDown Return

We now know when Paige will make her televised return after being betrayed by The Bella Twins at WWE SummerSlam.
Rick Ucchino|
Paige
Paige | WWE

The card for the August 14 episode of Friday Night SmackDown just got a new addition.

Paige hopped on social media early Saturday morning and issued a response to Nikki Bella's pre-recorded promo that aired during Friday's show in Philadelphia. Nikki placed all the blame for losing the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles and the SummerSlam Six-Woman Tag Team Match on her now-former friend, but Paige views those events very differently.

"I saved your ass from getting pinned twice at SummerSlam. I’m also the one who WON those championships. I’ll be back next week. You haven’t seen anything yet babe," Paige on her X account.

Paige stood in for Nikki Bella back at WrestleMania 42 after she suffered a severe ankle injury, and went on to capture with WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Brie Bella. They held the gold until Saturday Night's Main Event last month in New York, when the numbers advantage of Fatal Influence got the better of them.

Nikki Bella would return to action the following week, and issue the challenge for the six-woman tag at SummerSlam. Paige did take the decisive pinfall in that match, which prompted the Bellas to attack her afterward.

Whatever specific plans were being set into motion with The Bella Twins turning heel were immediately put on hold, however, as Brie suffered a shoulder injury during the match in Minneapolis, and she's going to be on the shelf for the next three to six months.

Nikki Bella & Paige
Nikki Bella & Paige | WWE

It appears that Paige and Nikki will now push forward with a singles program for the time being, which will continue this coming Friday in Boston, Massachusetts.

WWE already has three championship matches that are scheduled for next week's show, including Damian Priest & R-Truth defending their WWE Tag Team Titles in a triple threat match against The War Raiders and Tama Tonga & Talla Tonga.

Tiffany Stratton will also put her Women's United States Championship on the line against Jacy Jayne, and Baron Corbin will defend his Men's United States Title against Carmelo Hayes. We'll keep you updated on any other additions to the SmackDown card in the coming days.

WWE SmackDown card for August 14:

  • Damian Priest & R-Truth (c) vs. The War Raiders vs. Tama Tonga & Talla Tonga w/ Haku for the WWE Tag Team Championship
  • Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Jacy Jayne for the Women's United States Championship
  • Baron Corbin (c) vs. Carmelo Hayes for the Men's United States Championship
  • Paige returns to SmackDown to confront Nikki Bella
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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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