Entertainment Sports Nikki Bella Is Retiring from the WWE: 'I Am Ready to Hang Up the Jersey' "I really am ready to hang up the jersey," Nikki Bella said in the latest episode of Total Bellas By Lindsay Kimble Lindsay Kimble Lindsay Kimble is a Senior Digital News Editor and the Sports Editor for PEOPLE Digital. She's worked at PEOPLE for over seven years as a writer, reporter and editor across our Entertainment, Lifestyle and News teams, covering everything from the Super Bowl to the Met Gala. She's been nominated for the ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30, and previously wrote for Us Weekly while on staff at Wenner Media. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 25, 2019 10:57 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Nikki Bella is ready for her next chapter. The 35-year-old announced that she’ll retire from the WWE during the season finale of Total Bellas over the weekend. While at dinner with her family, Bella explained that being a part of the WWE European tour helped her realize that she was ready to walk away from her professional wrestling career. “I just feel like I’m too old for that travel,” she said, adding, “So I realized like, why am I doing this — I don’t feel good.” Continued Bella, “I really am ready to hang up the jersey. Like, I can say it fully.” Taylor Hill/FilmMagic The star then issued a toast, saying, “Here’s to closing one chapter and the next one opening.” “Being on the European tour, I’ve had a lot of time to think,” explained Bella further. “Just how my body feels, being away from my company, how time-consuming this is.” “It’s making me realize I am ready to fold the jersey and put it away. I’m ready to put the kicks aside and I’m ready to take Nikki Bella into a different direction.” Nikki Bella Admits ‘It’s Going to Kill’ Her When She Sees Ex John Cena with a New Woman Bella joined the WWE back in 2007, and made her SmackDown debut alongside her sister Brie Bella the following year. She was the WWE Divas champion twice. Nikki Bella Spotted Kissing Artem Chigvintsev After Revealing They Have ‘Amazing Chemistry’ It’s been nearly a year since Bella and John Cena publicly ended their romance, calling off their wedding after six years together. On Total Bellas, the star returned to Napa, California, where she and pro wrestler and actor planned to tie the knot. “This is the first time I’ve been back in Napa since my big breakup and I just immediately get all those memories,” Bella said on the show. She continued, “But, a part of me is like okay Nicole, now you have to make new memories.”