Nearly a decade after ending her engagement to John Cena in 2018, Nikki Garcia ran into her ex. It was as awkward as you might expect.
During the June 25 episode of Honestly Cavallari: The Headline Tour, Nikki recalled the first time she saw the WWE Hall of Fame inductee in “seven [or] eight years.”
“It was very quick,” Nikki said during Kristin Cavallari’s final podcast stop in New York City. “Respect, [he’s a] married man, of course.”
John Cena shook Nikki Garcia’s hand after they broke up
As Nikki remembers it, she was standing “in a circle talking to people” during her return to the WWE, when John came by and “shook everyone’s hand.” She had briefly come out of retirement to attend the WWE’s Royal Rumble in February 2025.
“He shook my hand,” Nikki added, which shocked Kristin. Furthermore, Nikki noted there was “no hug,” just the handshake. Seems a little odd from a man she spent six years with, first dating, then living together and engaged to be married. John was also a recurring character on Nikki and her identical twin Brie Bella’s E! reality show, Total Bellas, though he reportedly never took a paycheck.
“We just said, ‘Hello, good to see you. I think last time we were engaged … It’s been a while,’” Nikki chuckled.
After breaking up with John, Nikki very famously moved on with Dancing with the Stars professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev. The pair were married for two years before their relationship fell apart in 2024. They share a four-year-old son, Matteo.
Ironically, Nikki wore the wedding gown she’d purchased for her wedding to John when she married Artem in 2022. When Nikki said yes to the dress, she really meant it.
Honestly Cavallari airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on E!
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT JOHN DIDN’T AT LEAST GIVE NIKKI A HUG? DO YOU THINK THE HANDSHAKE WAS APPROPRIATE?
