Chelsea Green and Nikki Bella may have been on opposite sides of a WWE SmackDown championship match on October 30, but their rivalry did not prevent a meaningful moment of appreciation away from the ring.
Green, the reigning WWE Women’s Champion, successfully defended her title against a villainous Bella on that episode of SmackDown. Following the match, Green’s Halloween costume became a notable point of conversation when the champion paid tribute to Bella’s recognizable “Fearless Nikki” presentation. The costume was especially fitting given Green’s established enthusiasm for the Divas era and her vocal fandom for Total Divas.
Bella has now shared how strongly the tribute landed with her. The WWE Hall of Famer said that seeing Green — as well as other fans — embrace her signature look and mannerisms remains a genuinely flattering experience.
“Especially when I’m seeing everyone hit the booty shake, and it’s like, you get super flattered,” Bella said. “It honestly made me smile. I didn’t even know, I was on my way to the airport. My mom called me on the way to the airport and she’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, did you see Chelsea Green’s live?’ I’m like, ‘No.’ So, when I got to the airport I saw it and honestly, I always get so flattered. I don’t even know how to put it into words, but it makes me feel very, very good. Like, super awesome and just totally iconic.”
For more background on this topic, read Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn Is WWE’s Working Crown Jewel Main Event Plan.
The response adds a real-life layer to a rivalry that has played out under very different terms on WWE television. Green’s title defense against Bella put the current champion opposite one of the most recognizable performers associated with WWE’s Divas era. On screen, the match was a battle for the WWE Women’s Championship, with Bella positioned as a heel challenger and Green protecting the gold. Outside the storyline, however, Green’s Halloween choice reflected admiration for the legacy Bella built through that period.
Green’s Costume Connected Two WWE Generations
The “Fearless Nikki” identity is closely connected to Bella’s larger WWE image. It evokes the confidence, visual presentation, and personality that helped make her a defining name of the era in which the Bella Twins became central fixtures of WWE programming. For fans who followed that time, the look is immediately identifiable, from the overall styling to the attitude attached to it.
That recognition is what made Green’s costume more than a generic wrestling-themed Halloween outfit. Green specifically tapped into a version of Bella that has endured in the memories of viewers well beyond its original run. As Bella noted, it was not simply the fact that someone dressed in her likeness that stood out. It was also seeing people perform the familiar “booty shake,” a gesture associated with the character and one that has remained part of how fans remember her.
Green’s decision also fits with the public affection she has shown for the Divas era. Her interest in Total Divas and the personalities who helped define that period has been clear, making the Fearless Nikki costume a natural extension of her fandom rather than a random Halloween selection. In that sense, the tribute connected Green’s role as a modern champion with the type of WWE character work and pop-culture crossover that made Bella a major figure in the first place.
Bella’s reaction underscored how much those connections matter to performers. Her comments focused on surprise and gratitude rather than the competitive friction of the SmackDown title match. She had not initially seen Green’s post, learning about it from her mother while traveling to the airport. Once she did see it, Bella said the moment made her smile and left her feeling “very, very good.”
A Respectful Moment After a Championship Defeat
The timing of the exchange is notable because it arrived immediately around a major in-ring result. Green entered the October 30 SmackDown with the WWE Women’s Championship and emerged with it still in her possession after defeating Bella. Bella’s loss did not lead to a confirmed next program, leaving her direction on WWE television uncertain for now.
That uncertainty has been amplified by the situation involving her sister, Brie Bella. Brie suffered an injury at SummerSlam, and Nikki’s next storyline has not been made clear to fans in the aftermath. The Bella Twins’ history and connection have naturally made Brie’s status part of the broader discussion surrounding Nikki’s WWE future, even though no next opponent or storyline has been established for Nikki.
For the moment, the October 30 loss marks a setback in Bella’s pursuit of championship gold. Still, the reaction to Green’s costume serves as a reminder of Bella’s continued visibility and cultural footprint within WWE. Being dressed as by a reigning champion is a sign of the influence that her character work continues to hold, particularly among performers who grew up watching or later became fans of the Divas-era product.
Bella has also reportedly received positive feedback within WWE for the performance of her social-media clips and for her merchandise sales. Those points, combined with the audience familiarity that comes with her name, indicate that she remains a relevant presence even without an announced next chapter following the Green match.
Green Turns Toward Crown Jewel
While Bella’s immediate WWE path is unresolved, Green already has a major championship opportunity ahead. The WWE Women’s Champion is set to face Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the Crown Jewel Championship at stake.
The match places Green in a high-profile inter-brand champion-versus-champion setting. Having retained against Bella on SmackDown, Green will now attempt to add another significant accomplishment to her reign by overcoming Morgan. The stakes are different from a standard title defense: Green will be representing the WWE Women’s Championship while Morgan enters as the Women’s World Champion, and the Crown Jewel Championship is the prize attached to their meeting.
Green’s current position makes the Halloween tribute especially interesting. She is not appearing as a former fan looking back at an influential WWE period from the outside. She is doing so while holding one of the company’s top women’s championships and preparing for a bout against another reigning titleholder. That gives the costume a generational quality: a current champion publicly celebrating a Hall of Famer whose presentation remains instantly recognizable.
It is also a moment that demonstrates the separation WWE performers can make between storyline and reality. Green and Bella were opponents competing for the same title on SmackDown. Yet Green’s tribute and Bella’s response show mutual appreciation beyond the television conflict. The championship match produced a winner and a loser; the Halloween moment produced a warm acknowledgement of the impact Bella has had on fans and fellow wrestlers alike.
Bella’s Legacy Remains Visible
Bella’s comments about feeling “iconic” were delivered with clear enthusiasm, but they also reflect a simple reality: enduring wrestling personas live on through fan memory, imitation, and tribute. Halloween costumes are one of the clearest examples of that phenomenon. They require a look or character to be recognizable enough that audiences understand the reference immediately.
Green’s Fearless Nikki outfit met that standard, and Bella’s reaction made clear that she appreciated the gesture. For Green, it was an opportunity to honor a favorite era and one of its biggest stars. For Bella, it was another reminder that the character she created continues to resonate.
As Green heads toward Liv Morgan and the Crown Jewel Championship, she does so with momentum from her successful defense against Bella. As for Bella, her next WWE storyline remains to be seen. Whatever comes next in the ring, the response to Green’s costume has provided a positive off-screen moment following their championship encounter — one that left the Hall of Famer smiling and feeling, in her own words, “totally iconic.”
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.