(Video) Nikki Bella’s Brutally Honest Confession About WWE During Fiesta Bowl Had Pat McAfee Losing His Mind

Cooper DeJean's rumored girlfriend, WWE diva, Nikki Bella revealed the difference between her profession and football while appearing on the Pat McAfee Show.

(Video) Nikki Bella’s Brutally Honest Confession About WWE During Fiesta Bowl Had Pat McAfee Losing His Mind

Cooper DeJean's girlfriend Nikki Bella speaks with Pat McAfee during Fiesta Bowl (Image via IMAGO/X)

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Does WWE follow a script like a reality TV show, or does everything happen spontaneously? It’s an answer fans have been trying to uncover for decades, and Cooper DeJean’s diva girlfriend, Nikki Bella, let the secret slip on live television.

Nikki was the honorary guest during a special edition of the Pat McAfee Show, live from the CFP semifinal between Miami and Ole Miss. McAfee asked Bella to share her connection with football. She promptly replied that she had grown up surrounded by America’s favorite pastime.

In his second question, McAfee wanted to know what she liked most about football. Bella replied, “The energy, competition.” Although football and wrestling are both contact sports, there are certain differences between them.

“You know our fightings [WWE] are a little different… We have pre-determined finishes…” Nikki Bella was cut short mid-answer by McAfee and his crew.

The former NFL punter and his colleague’s reaction conveyed everything. Fortunately for her, she was on foreign grounds and not the WWE turf. Otherwise, her words could have easily been viewed as “part of the script.” In hindsight, football fans might argue that football has that too, even though there’s no means to prove its existence.

Anyways, Bella further noted another big difference between WWE and football.

What I am saying is that they [football players] don’t know it. They don’t know about the finish.

When did Nikki Bella and Cooper DeJean start dating?

Reports from the Daily Mail first uncovered that Bella, an avid Eagles fan, attended the week 15 demolition of the Las Vegas Raiders. Cameras caught DeJean chatting with Bella before the game.

(Video) Nikki Bella's Brutally Honest Confession About WWE During Fiesta Bowl Had Pat McAfee Losing His Mind
Cooper DeJean (Image via IMAGO)

TMZ, on the other hand, claimed they had been seeing each other for a few weeks before the Raiders game in Philly.

That being said, neither DeJean, 22, nor Bella have publicly confirmed their relationship as of January 2026. A New York Post article (HT/Yahoo Sports) noted Bella is still very single and keeping things casual with the Super Bowl winner.

DeJean and the Eagles, meanwhile, won the NFC East for the second straight year by finishing 11-6. As the third seed, the Eagles will face the sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers, who finished 12-5, in the wildcard round.

Who did Nikki Bella date before Cooper DeJean?

On a more serious note, Bella is still sombre about the way her relationship arc with John Cena concluded. The outcome genuinely shaped WWE’s future. Cena is married to his current wife, Shay Shariatzadeh. Cena tied the knot with the Iranian-born Canadian engineer at an attorney’s office in Tampa, Florida, in October 2020.

Nikki, meanwhile, struck a chord with russian dancer Artem Chigvintsev while shooting for Dancing With the Stars. The two started dating in January 2019 and got engaged in January 2020. On July 31, 2020, Nikki gave birth to their first child, a son. Two years later, the couple married on August 26, 2022.

However, the marriage didn’t last very long. On August 29, 2024, Chigvintsev was booked into Napa County Jail on a felony domestic violence charge. According to police reports, Chigvintsev inflicted corporal injury on his spouse. Nikki refrained from publicly speaking about the abuse. A couple of weeks after the authorities arrested Chigvintsev, Bella filed for divorce.

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