Paige and Brie Bella Stun the WWE Universe, Capture Women’s Tag Team Gold at WrestleMania 42
On the first night of WWE WrestleMania 42, fans witnessed a major surprise as Brie Bella and Paige walked away as the new Women’s Tag Team Champions. The duo defeated three other formidable teams: the reigning champions Irresistible Forces, the team of Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and the pairing of Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss.
The shock began during The Bella Twins’ entrance. Nikki Bella appeared on the ramp using a crutch, explaining that she hadn’t been medically cleared to compete. However, she revealed she had called in a substitute — her old friend Paige — who then made her way to the ring alongside Brie.
Throughout the chaotic tag match, Brie was initially prevented twice from tagging in Paige. At one point, a huge avalanche superplex was delivered to both Bliss and Valkyria. Brie followed up with a missile dropkick from the top rope. When Paige finally got the hot tag, she went right after Jax before taking down Bayley and Flair. Paige then hit a series of high-impact moves, including knees to Legend on the ropes and a crossbody to Valkyria, though she was caught mid-air. She quickly reversed a Nightwing attempt into her signature Paige Turner.
Later, Legend locked in the Lash Extension on Valkyria. Paige briefly reunited with her former tag partner, Flair, as they cleared the ring and exchanged a tense stare-down before trading strikes. Flair tried to lock in the Figure Eight, but Paige escaped with a roll-up. Flair responded with Natural Selection, and Bliss climbed to the top. Brie pulled Flair out of the ring, allowing Nikki — still on the sidelines — to strike Flair repeatedly with her crutch. Bliss went for Twisted Bliss, but Paige raised her knees in defense and finished the match with a DDT to secure the pinfall victory.
The win came just days after Nikki suffered an ankle injury during a tag bout against Flair and Bliss, a match that also saw interference from Irresistible Forces. Medical staff were seen checking on Nikki post-match while the other competitors celebrated. As of now, no official return date has been announced for Nikki Bella.