Roundup: Nikki Bella’s post-retirement plan, backstage concern following WWE releases, Shawn Michaels announces NXT’s newest acquisition

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Let’s get started:

#5. Nikki Bella opens up on post-retirement plan

When talking about the women who have contributed significantly to the evolution of women’s wrestling in WWE, Nikki Bella’s name rings loud. She is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the Stamford-based promotion.

The Fearless One is already in the Hall of Fame as part of the Bella Twins. At 42, she is nearing the end of her in-ring career. Nikki Bella was initially supposed to team up with her sister Brie in the Fatal Four-Way match for the Women’s Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 42. However, she was replaced by a returning Paige, as she wasn’t cleared to compete.

On the most recent episode of The Nikki & Brie Show, Bella discussed her plans in WWE after retiring from in-ring competition. She mentioned that instead of stepping completely away from the spotlight and taking on a behind-the-scenes role, she aims to become a general manager on WWE TV.

#4. Reports of backstage concern over a major WWE show following recent releases

Less than a week after WrestleMania 42, WWE and TKO shocked fans with a long list of releases. It ranged from the main roster to the developmental system. The releases took place this past Friday, before the first SmackDown after The Show of Shows.

While this is an annual move by the company after WrestleMania season, the recent roster cuts aren’t sitting well with many fans. Some of the big names that were released include both members of the Motor City Machine Guns, all five members of The Wyatt Sicks, Kairi Sane, Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Alba Fyre, among several others.

Interestingly, Olympic gold medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock, who performed as Tyra Mae Steele and was the female winner of WWE: LFG Season One, was also among the list of stars released from the promotion. This happened merely two years since her winning the show.

According to Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer, several people in NXT are cautious and unsure about WWE: LFG, considering how Steele, who won the first season of the show and was a regular on Evolve, was among the releases.

#3. Fans demand WWE bring back released star; company’s social media posts hijacked

Each year after WrestleMania, WWE releases several superstars. This year, it appears that the Stamford-based promotion has let go of over 20 talents, with several prominent names such as Aleister Black and The Wyatt Sicks among them.

Kairi Sane was also shockingly released from her WWE contract. Before her exit, she was part of an ongoing program on Monday Night RAW. The former Damage CTRL member was involved in a compelling storyline with Asuka and IYO SKY that fans thought would have set the stage for a clash at WrestleMania 42. However, that didn’t happen.

On RAW After WrestleMania 42, The Pirate Princess teamed up with The Empress of Tomorrow, locking horns against Rhea Ripley and SKY in a tag team match. Following this, fans became angry after hearing reports of Kairi’s release spreading on social media.

As a result, they hijacked multiple posts on WWE’s official Instagram account, demanding that the company bring back the Japanese star.

#2. Shawn Michaels officially announces NXT’s newest acquisition

Shawn Michaels, the creative leader of NXT, has received widespread praise for discovering and mentoring many young talents who have gone on to achieve superstardom in WWE. In the first episode of LFG season three, Michaels announced to Kendal Grey that she had been officially called up to NXT.

Grey is considered one of the most promising emerging stars in wrestling today and is expected to achieve great success if her career continues on this trajectory. The 24-year-old has been with the Stamford-based promotion since 2023, and her reign as the Evolve Women’s Champion is the longest in the title’s history at 146 days.

After losing the title last month, Kendal Grey has been competing in NXT and even challenged for the NXT Women’s Title at Stand & Deliver 2026, though she did not win the Triple Threat Match. In the premier episode of LFG Season Three, Shawn Michaels is shown in a backstage segment with Grey, where he informs her of her full-time promotion to NXT.

It’s worth noting that the season was filmed months earlier, and Kendal Grey has already become an integral part of the show’s women’s division.

#1. Giulia suffers an unfortunate wardrobe incident on SmackDown

This past Friday on SmackDown, Giulia put her Women’s United States Championship on the line against Tiffany Stratton and lost the title.

However, it seems that there was also an awkward moment for The Beautiful Madness during the bout. Many fans observed a problem when Giulia was on the ground: her gear wasn’t snug enough around her chest. This prompted several fans to share screengrabs of the awkward moment.

Despite this, the former champion was still able to complete the bout.