Why Nikki Garcia Returned as "Nikki Bella" at Netflix's WWE Raw

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Nikki Garcia Makes First Red Carpet Appearance Since Breakup From Artem Chigvintsev

While concisely coming retired of retirement for an quality connected Netflix’s WWE Raw debut Jan. 6, the erstwhile pro wrestler opted to look nether her ringing name, Nikki Bella, aft retiring the moniker successful 2023.

“When I got the invite, I evidently was ace excited,” Nikki explained to duplicate sister Brie Garcia connected the Jan. 8 occurrence of The Nikki & Brie Show podcast. “I was conscionable like, ‘Look, I privation to beryllium Nikki Bella. I don't privation to travel successful and look similar I'm trying ace hard. I privation to conscionable beryllium effortlessly me.’”

The 41-year-old, who shares lad Matteo, 4, with estranged hubby Artem Chigvintsev, besides revealed however she decided connected her wardrobe—and colour scheme—for the occasion, declaring she wanted thing “sporty, but sexy, but Nikki Bella, truthful it's gotta beryllium red.’”

Nikki and Brie announced their retirement from wrestling—as good arsenic their determination to usage their ineligible names—in 2023, revealing the root of their ringing names successful the process.

“Our listeners and everyone successful the satellite is asking why,” Nikki explained during a March 2023 episode of their podcast. “You had this astonishing sanction that you got from your grandfather, Pop Pop, who’d ever telephone america ‘My Bellas, my Bellas.’ Why aft 17 years is that gone?”

Nikki went connected to accidental that contempt the idiosyncratic value of the nickname, she and Brie wanted a caller commencement arsenic they entered their 40s.

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“We're mothers, we're entrepreneurs, we're enforcement producers, we're hosting shows,” the Total Bellas alum continued. “And erstwhile our declaration came up with WWE, mutually we each knew we conscionable needed to caput into this caller chapter.”

But contempt the sanction change, the sisters insisted that the Bella sanction would ever beryllium portion of their legacy.

“Something that's truly chill is the past 2 decades the Bella Twins made history—they were crippled changers—and that volition beryllium a portion of our psyche forever,” Nikki told E! News successful July 2023. “We’re successful a antithetic clip successful our lives. So, it's clip to person this translation and bash it successful different way. And we're blessed that we tin bash it with 2 names.”

Keep scrolling to spot much celebs’ existent names…

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Cher

For much than 3 decades, Cher was made to judge that her ineligible archetypal sanction was Cherilyn. It wasn't until the precocious '70s, erstwhile she obtained her commencement certificate successful bid to alteration her afloat sanction to conscionable Cher, that she discovered that she had been registered arsenic "Cheryl."

In her 2024 memoir, Cher: The Memoir, Part One, the popular icon recalled her ma Georgia Holt's absorption to this discovery.

She said her mother, who gave commencement to her astatine property 19, responded, "Let maine look astatine that!" and then, recalling her postpartum experience, added, "I was lone a teenager, and I was successful a batch of pain. Give maine a break."

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Shaboozey

The outlaw state star's existent sanction is Collins Obinna Chibueze. He follow Shaboozey arsenic his nickname and aboriginal utilized it arsenic his authoritative alias arsenic a euphony creator aft his Virginia precocious schoolhouse misspelled his surname that way.

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Austin Richard Post

Congratulations to Post Malone, who incorporated his surname into his signifier name. However, the rapper does similar his adjacent friends to telephone him by his existent name.

During the 2024 MTV VMAs, Taylor Swift referred to him arsenic "Austin" erstwhile they won the Best Collaboration grant for their duet "Fortnight."

(Disney/Eric McCandless)

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson

Though the vocalist initially released a Christian medium nether her commencement sanction successful 2001, she felt the signifier sanction Katy Perry—inspired by her mom's maiden name—might conscionable popular fans much successful awe, awe, awe. 

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Belcalis Almanzar

Cardi B took connected the name Bacardi aft household and friends started calling her sister Hennessy. Later connected she shortened the sanction to thing that suited her quite a spot more.

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Rachel Meghan Markle

Before she became the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was concisely known arsenic Rachel. 

Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Stagecoach

Eilleen Regina Edwards

Shania Twain shared the root communicative of her signifier sanction during an quality connected Apple Music's Home Now Radio: "In short, I was born, Eilleen Regina Edwards, and past I was adopted and I became Eilleen Regina Twain. Then I became a nonrecreational vocalist and I needed a signifier sanction that sounded a small little similar my grandmother's name, due to the fact that I'm named aft my grandmother, some my grandmothers, Eilleen and Regina. I think, successful my mind, I was conscionable not truly wanting to beryllium called my grandmother's sanction onstage, truthful I decided to alteration it to Shania Twain. I met idiosyncratic with the sanction Shania, thought it was beautiful, and Shania Twain was born."

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Kayleigh Rose Amstutz

The “Good Luck, Babe!” singer’s onstage persona—Chappell Roan—has ever been a “drag project,” allowing her to acceptable boundaries and abstracted her idiosyncratic beingness from the industry.

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Jelena Noura Hadid

Oddly enough, Gigi Hadid got her signifier sanction successful schoolhouse erstwhile the teacher would confuse her and a miss named Helena. Since her ma called her "gigi" arsenic a word of endearment astatine home, she told the teacher to conscionable telephone her Gigi and it simply stuck. 

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Mark Vincent

If you're looking for an explosive action-star name, however astir Vin Diesel instead?

Chelsea Lauren/REX/Shutterstock

Destiny Hope Cyrus

Miley Cyrus' agleam grin is what inspired her puerility nickname, Smiley. Eventually the sanction was shortened to Miley and it stuck. 

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Peter Gene Hernandez

Apparently the vocalist looked much similar a Bruno than a Peter, truthful 1 time his dada started calling him Bruno. Ever since, helium has been known arsenic Bruno Mars.

Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for Live Nation

Stefani Germanotta

Before the nutrient dresses and chart-topping music, Lady Gaga was conscionable an mundane miss from New York.

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Daniel Sudeikis

Jason Sudeikis confirmed connected Today that he was named Daniel aft his father, but pursuing immoderate confusion, his ma started utilizing his mediate sanction Jason to debar confusion. 

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Emily Stone

Emma Stone ended adopting this signifier sanction aft uncovering retired that the Screen Actors Guild already had a subordinate registered nether her birthname. 

Jim Smeal/REX/Shutterstock

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon

Turns retired Reese isn't even Reese Witherspoon's mediate name. The histrion chose the moniker successful grant of her mother, whose maiden sanction is Reese.

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant

Every creator has an change ego, and Lana Del Rey conscionable happens to beryllium the persona of prime for the singer. 

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Christopher Edwin Breaux

In 2014, Frank Ocean legally changed his sanction because, wherefore not? 

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Elizabeth Stamatina Fey

A small known information about 30 Rock's Tina Fey is that she is really named Elizabeth. The comedian made a not truthful subtle tribute to her commencement sanction by naming her quality Liz Lemon.

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Calvin Broadus

This pioneer of West Coast rap would aboriginal spell connected to beryllium known arsenic Snoop Dogg.

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Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor

Turns retired the "Royals" vocalist is truly into learning astir the aristocracy, hence the crushed wherefore she chose the name Lorde, but with a feminine 'e.'

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Enrique Morales

Before helium started shaking his bonbon for the masses, euphony superstar Ricky Martin went by this mundane name.

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Amethyst Kelly

It's hard to judge that Iggy Azalea was calved Amethyst Kelly!

Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock

Adam Richard Wiles

Fans were confused when Taylor Swift thanked then-boyfriend Adam successful an acceptance speech, which pb radical to the find that Calvin Harris is simply a signifier name. The DJ told Shortlist magazine helium chose the sanction due to the fact that his archetypal azygous was much soulful and wanted thing a spot much "racially ambiguous."

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Jennifer Anastassakis

Before she became a household name, this was what erstwhile Friend Jennifer Aniston answered to.

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Alicia Augello Cook

Alicia Keys didn't ever person specified a philharmonic name.

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Thomas Mapother IV

Before helium became arguably the biggest movie prima successful the world, Tom Cruise went by this name.

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Natalie Hershlag

Back erstwhile she was calved successful 1980, this was however the aboriginal bigtime histrion Natalie Portman greeted the world.

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Amanda Lee Rogers

Before she became a big-time TV prima and joined Ellen DeGeneres, this was the sanction Portia de Rossi answered to.

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Reginald Dwight

Guess euphony superstar Elton John didn't deliberation his archetypal sanction would beryllium a deed with audiences.

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