Nikki Garcia may portray a badass in the wrestling ring, but in real life she’s just a woman dealing with divorce. In a sneak peek of the June 25 episode of Honestly Cavallari: The Headline Tour, the WWE Hall of Fame inductee spilled some tea about her very public divorce.
“I think they make me, like, more of a villain than I am,” Nikki told Kristin Cavallari, referring to the double standards set for men and women in the press.
Her identical twin, Brie Garcia, agreed with her. “Oh, for sure. Especially out of your divorce,” she added.
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Nikki Garcia was made out to be “the villain” during Artem Chigvintsev divorce
Was it really just months ago that we first heard that Nikki and Artem Chigvintsev had split just days after their anniversary? It seems like years since we learned she filed for divorce following the Dancing with the Stars alum’s arrest for domestic violence.
Nikki blames her WWE persona for distorting the public’s perception of her true personality. Following her own messy divorce from retired NFL QB Jay Cutler in 2022, Kristin could totally relate. “Of course. You’re a woman,” the Laguna Beach alum observed.
“I feel like when you’re badass women and you kick ass in a ring, people just assume you’re not empathetic,” the mom of four-year-old Matteo said. “It’s like we could go kick so much ass and, yeah, I’ll pick a guy out in the crowd. I’ll body slam you right now. I can do it.”
“Because we’re pro wrestlers,” Brie added, “we can come off so hard and tough.”
Nikki agreed, “I think that’s the biggest misconception.”
Admitting that her WWE alter ego influenced not only the divorce but the subsequent legal battle, Nikki continued. “People bring up like, ‘Well I don’t know. 2017, your character in the ring …'” she explained. “I’m like, ‘That’s not real. I was playing a villain.’ I was playing a character, and they all think I’m that person. I mean, I heard it in court [throughout] the divorce. Because I was a strong woman, a pro wrestler.”
“You should not be able to use anything in entertainment,” Kristin concurred. “That’s bullsh*t … With me, they always want to make it about sex … It drives me insane.”
