I haven’t paid much attention to the relationship between John Cena and Nikki Bella since their engagement at a Wrestlemania event last April, but there’s more drama surrounding their split than I’ve seen in any Vince McMahon-scripted WWE storyline.
Last month, the 40-year-old wrestler-turned-actor and his 34-year-old fiancée not only broke off their engagement and cancelled their May 5th wedding, they also broke up completely. Depending on who you ask, the reason for the split was either John’s reluctance to have children or Nikki leaving because she didn’t want a “pity husband.” PEOPLE graciously put together a timeline of their spilt and all of the engagement and breakup drama is soon to play out on the third season of Total Bellas, which debuts on E! this Sunday.
Fast forward to this week, and both parties are talking about the break-up. On Monday, John was a co-host on the wine-soaked fourth hour of the TODAY Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda. In front of his Chardonnay (I pictured him as more of a red wine kind of guy, but hey, he’s surprised me more than once already), he got visibly emotional and confessed his love for Nikki. Here’s an excerpt from the gut spillage:
“It’s been incredibly reflective. Which is amazing. It’s very difficult. I had my heart broken out of nowhere, or for me it was out of nowhere. Anyone who’s experienced that knows that it comes with a series of bad feelings. But I’ve looked at myself every day and evaluate myself and the woman that I love, and for anyone out there speculating on, like, what i’m doing with my life now. I still love Nicole. I still would love to marry Nicole. I still would love to have a family with Nicole. There was an unfortunate set of circumstances where our relationship ended.
There’s been a lot of speculation recently about me being seen in public and everyone is thinking, ‘Oh, John Cena is enjoying the single life.’ No, I was supposed to be married and have a honeymoon over these two weeks. It’s the first time in 15 years I’ve taken a vacation. I am in my house alone surrounded by these emotionally strong memories, and every day from 6-9 I get out of the house to go talk to strangers as social interactions.
So there are a lot of pictures of me like, ‘Hey I’m here with this person. Hey, I’m here with that person.’ I don’t want anyone else. I love Nicole. And I’m trying to support her in trying to find what she wants which made this fall apart in the first place. In doing so, I’m also trying to live. I don’t have any other hopes other than maybe one day we can work it out.”
[From YouTube/TODAY]
I can only assume that the “speculation” John was referring to came from a wrestling blog report that John is “hooking up” with Total Divas‘ Carmella, who vaguely resembles a less beefy Kameron Michaels from RuPaul’s Drag Race (not an insult, mind you).
John also seemed to backpedal on the whole kid thing, saying his stubbornness was to blame for his hesitation to have little Cenas running around. He then reiterated, “I love her. I want to be with her. I want to make her my wife. I want to be the father of her children. I just want us to work.” You can watch the clip below. As I mentioned, John has surprised me, he played a great on-screen Dad in Blockers (which was a cute flick, not the laugh riot many would have you believe), so I don’t know if he’s acting here. Judge for yourself.
Apparently Nikki had not seen this interview when she walked the red carpet with her sister and Total Bellas co-star Brie at the NBC Universal upfronts that evening. When a correspondent from Extra read her some excerpts from the segment, she awkwardly responded by saying, “Wow. Well, I’m speechless. Yeah, that’s crazy. Yeah,” nervously smiling and looking at her sister. She seemed to collect herself and went on to say,
I have hope. I’m at a point in my life where I kind of lost me and I want to find me and work on me. I just want John and I both to live happily ever after whether it’s together or separate and I just don’t want us to go down the road in life and have regrets of like ‘I did this for you’ or ‘you did this for me,’ so I think it’s okay in relationships to take that moment. The day I say my vows, I want to say them once and I want to fully mean them, and so that’s what made me hesitant — am I ready to say these vows?
[From Extra/YouTube]
On Tuesday morning, Hoda and Kathie Lee poured another glass of wine for John and discussed the events of the previous day. John said that he appreciated the opportunity for Nikki to hear him. Nikki is scheduled to be on the show this morning, so the drama is sure to continue.
I don’t know what to think about this. If they are really in love outside of the ring, I hope they get back together. If this is an elaborate storyline for WWE and Nikki’s E! show, I will be very disappointed.
Photos: WENN.com
Why is this conversation taking place on television through a public platform versus like privately between the two people it involves? Is it because there is attention to be gained from this…
Because they are both extra and live their personal lives on a public platform.
Exactly. This is obviously either a set up or its exploited which makes you doubt anything else they had.
Set up!!!
I agree, how embarrassing. All he had to say was he is trying to work things out with her – not a 5 minute explanation.
Ah this whole thing made me feel a little sad and sorry for him…he is literally sitting there with his heart on his sleeve pleading with her on TV…but it’s also kinda weird that its happening on TV. Call her, text her, email her, send her a whatsapp video – the whole pleading on TV just comes off as a little controlling and an awful lot of pressure on her no? A less creepy/asshole verion of Robin Thicke’s ‘I love Paula’ tour.
Yes, that’s what I was thinking of, Robin Thicke and his creepy publicity campaign to get back Paula Patton. I don’t think people genuinely in love behave like this.
Like 95% of me thinks this is for the WWE story, but 5% of me thinks she might have asked him for radio silence and he is desperate to talk to her so he’s taking whatever avenue he can get. I know for me, right after a hard breakup I would be liable to do something cringe-y like this.
I have so many thoughts about this. She made so many compromises over the years (including his insane cohabitation agreement) and I think it hit her that she was signing us for a lifetime of this, of being the one to compromise and could she do it? I think her leaving made him panic, because he never thought she would. I think he though she’d be forever content with what he gave her and I think he is now floundering, but I also think he is being a bit manipulative, to get her to change her mind.
Yeah, the amount of his “rules” she had to follow was more than a little crazy… relationships are all about compromise, but the only one doing any compromising in that partnership was her, right from the get go.
That said, if they DID break up over her wanting kids and him not, and *if* he’s sincere about wanting them with her now, it sounds like he realised way too late what was really important to him. (Though I’m not sure the kind of guy who makes her sign and live by the kind of crazy contract she had to would really make the most excellent dad… he seems to really only want things done one way- his way. And he doesn’t seem to cope if they don’t happen that way. Would he really be able to handle the very rude awakening that children just don’t operate that way?)
Agree. Too little too late. He seems incredibly self-centered. He’s probably surprised she broke with him when he’s been calling the shots.
Why is this happening on tv?? Like ok they may be having private talks but you’d imagine someone would have given her a heads up given she was walking a red carpet that evening?
The timing of this is smacking more and more like a set up for their show…the only thing that makes me think it;s not is Brie doesn’t look too impressed
Girl needs to leave his a** for good. He’s been stringing her along all this time, and finally gave in to getting married,, and then he’s like, Whoa, maybe not! It’s time for him to beat it!
Just say no Nikki. I don’t know why I care.
John is slightly likeable to me but he needs to leave her alone and doing this on TV is kinda off putting.
I have no idea who these people are but just reading about his “rules” is all I need to hear to say “Run, girlfriend, RUN!!! Go figure out why you agreed to live like this! Men don’t change! Once you’re married it’ll only get worse!”
Girl, RUN. Do not trust a man who airs this kind of emotional baggage out on television. It’s manipulative AF, and I’m really disappointed in him considering I’ve always had soft spot for Cena.
Yes, nailed it. This is emotional manipulation to the extreme. And he has probably manipulated her emotionally for their entire relationship. At first it may seem endearing, but this is a huge red flag, ladies. It’s all about HIM and HIS feelings. His only regret is that she isn’t around any more for him to control and do things for him. She probably doted on him and made him feel like a king and he wants that FEELING back, not her specifically. This is also borderline emotional blackmail, because he did this on TV, not in private, so now he looks like the broken-hearted puppy and she will be portrayed as the evil witch that stomped on his heart if she refuses to fall for this public plea to reunite with him and continue some false narrative of “epic love story.” He even says he wants kids with her now so it APPEARS that he is willing to compromise, but I know for a fact she will be the only one compromising in a relationship with him if she takes him back. Experience talking here, if that wasn’t already clear. RUN, NICOLE, RUN!
I’ve only seen a few scenes from their reality show and he struck me as a really weird, borderline crazy dude. Gross that they’re doing this on a public platform. Be like the Kardashians (lol!) and save it for the show.
This is Class A manipulation. Suddenly now that she’s gone- you just realized that she’s the only woman for you blah blah blah. This is such a classic bullshit move that spoiled little boys pull when you finally move on. She needs to date a rebound hunk and fast. Ages ago I broke up with some jerk I’d dated for years because he wouldn’t commit and after a month I was like what did I ever see in that guy? In the meantime he continued to stalk me for YEARS until I got married. And he’d always call me right before I was making some big move to try and throw me off. I was like STOP CALLING. She needs to move on to someone completely different and more awesome pronto- even if its just a rebound.
Please. What kind of dude goes on Hoda and KL and whimpers like a little girl about his lost love? Just another storyline, subplot, whatever. Now excuse me, I must go find me
typical. Post. Breakup. Regret
John is running after something he does not or cannot have.
If he really wanted to make it work, he would have made it work instead of triggering events leading to breakup.
Hope Nicki rethinks it and does not get placated and give in.
And why do these media shenanigans john.
Notice he started it
I tend to like Cena, but Nikki definitely seemed to be the one more in love/invested in their relationship. I watched the episode where she moved in & he tried to explain away the rules thing as something he would do with any roommate because it was his house & if they broke up it would be easier to already have this contract in place, so basically like a pre-nup. But that didn’t make it any less weird. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t allowed to change anything, no decorating, no hanging pictures, nothing. I also think he bought her a car after that, maybe because he realized he was being a weirdo? Either way, this now, saying he does want to get married & have kids after he’s repeatedly told her the opposite is what every romance movie is made of, so good for Nikki for standing her ground, although I won’t be surprised if they get back together in the eventually.
Ooo, did Brie get some fillers or something? What’s going on with her face? Don’t do it, girl, you’re gorgeous as is!
They’re completely working us over. I was kind of on the fence until I read about John’s interview on some wrestling blogs, and was just like, nah. John Cena didn’t just wake up one day and decide to pull a Jenny Slate.
I don’t think that John and Carmella are really hooking up, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Nikki stages a comeback to Smackdown and automatically starts feuding with Carmella. I do think that John and Nikki’s relationship is real, but I also think all this extra stuff is just for WWE and Total Bellas. 1. They needed to get Brie and Nikki in the same town. Last season the entire family moved in with John to take care of him and Nikki after their surgeries. It doesn’t work when Nikki’s in Tampa and Brie’s in Seattle. But it is entertaining to see Brie and Brian try to adjust to living in John’s house and adhering to his rules. And it’ll probably be funny to see Nikki living with Brie and Brian. 2. They need some drama. I watched a promo for the new season, and one of the plots was that Brian took Birdie swimming for the first time and Brie was pissed. They needed to add a little meat to the plot.
A man who for 6 years has been adamant that he does NOT want or have time for kids doesn’t just suddenly change his mind. Cena is either in desperation mode to say/ do anything to get Nikki back or this whole thing is a work for the tv show. I am honestly beginning to feel like we are all being played and everything we believe about that relationship is fake.
Oh, just man up and make up your bloody mind. It surely can’t be that difficult to decide whether you want to marry a woman or not.
As one guy so eloquently said” if he didn’t want to get married, he shouldn’t have asked”.
And before anybody here tells me ” it’s complicated”, no, it’s not. Marriage can be complicated. Asking somebody to marry you is not.
I can’t think of a single situation where a bloke having a desperation family would work out well. No kids deserve that, hopefully she realises it and keeps going.