John Cena unexpectedly found himself in the same space as his ex, Nikki Bella, for the second time in weeks since their highly-publicized breakup years ago.
Cena, 48, famously proposed to Bella, 41, after their mixed tag-team match at WrestleMania 33 in April 2017. A year later, the sports entertainment legends called off their wedding.
Both WWE superstars have been in the same vicinity since their engagement ended in 2018. For example, Cena and Bella were recently on the same red carpet for the “Happy Gilmore 2” movie premiere.
The star-studded event took place at New York City’s Lincoln Center on July 21. Footage of the exes appearing to be yards away from each other at the location was shared on TikTok.
Cena attended the premiere with his wife, Shay Shariatzadeh. He showed up in a gray, three-piece suit while Shariatzadeh wore a black, sleeveless dress. Bella rocked a green, two-piece jersey top and blue jeans. It is not clear if John and Nikki spoke to each other that night.
“It’s crazy Nikki had to beg John to marry her…and he easily accepted it for his new wife,” read one comment. A second comment read, “From lovers to strangers.”
A third individual claimed, “She went on to achieve motherhood which is always what she wanted but you can tell she also still has feelings for John Cena right now.”
One person claimed Cena was attempting to avoid an interaction with his ex-fiancée, writing, “She can’t see him but he is trying so hard not to look her way.”
In contrast, another said, “Naw John Cena side by side by his wife he ain’t thinking about Nikki.”
Siding with Nikki, one person proclaimed, “He fumbled her hard.”
Cena and Bella began dating in 2012 and moved in together the following year. By March 2018, Cena admitted “love is not easy” and that the pair would go months without seeing each other.
Apparently, conflicting opinions about having children also plagued the pending nuptials. In a viral scene from the “Total Bellas” reality television show featured Nikki and John discussing parenthood.
“I would never force you not to be a mom,” Cena, who did not want kids, told his then-prospective wife, according to E! News. Bella responded, “I thought I could really sacrifice that and I just can’t.” He then said, “I’m not sure we should go through with this.”
After six years as a romantic pair, Cena and Bella announced their engagement was off in April 2018. They briefly reconciled before calling it quits again that July.
“After I called off the engagement, we tried to work on our relationship to get back to where it was in order to move forward with our wedding,” Bella explained to Us Weekly that year. “After much time and soul-searching alone, and together, we have decided to officially part ways.
The two-time WWE Divas Champion continued, “I had a beautiful and loving six-year relationship with a wonderful man. I have the utmost respect for John, but I know this is what’s best for me.”
Bella went on to marry “Dancing with the Stars” alum Artem Chigvintsev in August 2022. They share a 4-year old son, Matteo. Bella filed for divorce from Chigvintsev in September 2024 after he was arrested on domestic violence charges. Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges.
As for Cena he has been married to Shariatzadeh for almost 5 years. The “Peacemaker” actor met the engineer at a bar in Vancouver in February 2019, around a year after parting ways from Bella.
The following year in October 2020, Cena and Shariatzadeh got married.
Fast-forward to January 2025, Cena has another run-in with his former flame at WWE’s Royal Rumble. Bella recalled reuniting with the current Undisputed WWE Champion at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the annual wrestling event.
She revealed on the “Let’s Be Honest” live podcast in March 2025 that the Royal Rumble reunion with Cena was the first time the two television personalities had seen each other in seven or eight years.
“It was very quick,” Bella said about interacting with Cena backstage at the show. The former partners avoided a hug and just exchanged a handshake while she was speaking with a group of people.
“But the thing was, when he walked away, all the girls were like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I’m like, ‘Shh, shh, He’s married, be respectful.’ And that was it.” Nikki also described the exchange as “nice” and “great” that produced a “good feeling.”
Netflix’s “Happy Gilmore 2” debuts on July 25. Bella, once known as half of the wrestling Bella twins with her sister Brie Garcia, is part of the film’s cast alongside WWE wrestler Becky Lynch and AEW wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman.
Season 2 of Cena’s “Peacemaker” returns to HBO Max on August 21.
