Artem Chigvintsev Granted Restraining Order Against Wife Nikki Garcia (Nikki Bella)
The lawyer for Nikki Garcia’s husband Artem Chigvintsev has responded to claims made by Nikki about a domestic incident involving the couple.
TRIGGER WARNING: The following article contains descriptions of domestic violence.
A domestic dispute led to Nikki Garcia’s husband Artem Chigvintsev being arrested at their home in California. Artem, who has been a professional dancer on “Dancing With The Stars” for many years was arrested for domestic battery. However, prosecutors later declined to file charges, citing a lack of evidence.
Nikki Garcia, who wrestling fans know as WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella, has been granted a restraining order against her husband based on what happened during the incident. Nikki has also filed for divorce. The couple has a four year old son named Matteo together.
A report from TMZ covered the claims made by Nikki about Artem’s behavior toward her.
She says Artem grabbed Matteo and ran with him upstairs, as the boy screamed, “Mommy! Mommy!”
She says as she tried to get in the room, Artem opened the door and tackled her to the ground outside Matteo’s room. She says he grabbed her arms and held her on the ground for what felt like 30 seconds.
She says Artem then went back into Matteo’s room and closed the door — and she says she again tried to push open the door, and he then opened it and pushed her across the hall into the couple’s bedroom, forcing her to the floor in their bathroom. She says he had his hands on her chest near her sternum, pressing down — she says she felt like she was suffocating — and she says she grabbed at his neck in an attempt to get him off.
The police came and Matteo told them, “Daddy hurt my hand.”
Due to Nikki’s claims about what Artem did to her, the judge prohibited Artem from contacting or coming within 100 yards of her, their son, their home, etc. The only exception is for visitation or exchange of the child per court-ordered visits.
Artem Chigvintsev Claims That Nikki Garcia Was The Aggressor In The Domestic Incident
There is an update from the New York Post, which included photos from Artem claiming that Nikki was the one who abused him. The following statement from Artem Chigvintsev’s lawyer, Ilona Antonyan, noted that Artem sought protection from his wife and made the claim that Nikki was lying.
It is crucial to consider the motivations of both parties in this situation. Mr. Chigvintsev contacted law enforcement on 8/29/24 seeking protection from his wife’s persistent aggression. While he was on the phone with the police, Ms. Garcia-Colace made a pointed statement, saying, ‘Do you understand where this is going now, Artem? You just ruined my career, and you know it.’
That day, someone was going to be arrested, and it wouldn’t have been Mr. Chigvintsev if Ms. Garcia Colace had told the truth. [Chigvintsev] denies ever tackling her. He was shocked to learn two weeks after the incident that she made this allegation against him; at that point it made sense to him why he was arrested.
As a result of wife’s self-serving statement, Mr. Chigvintsev’s career suffered, with numerous opportunities being canceled due to these false allegations. Men can also be victims of domestic violence; Mr. Chigvintsev’s case highlights this reality. He was not the primary aggressor.
In a restraining order request filed by Artem, he mentioned some of the things that he claimed Nikki was lying about.
“I had no idea what she told the police, but to my surprise I ended up getting arrested,” Chigvintsev said in his filing. “I was not the primary aggressor, she definitely was.”
“Since the 8/29/24 incident, I learned on 9/13/24 that she lied to the police that I tackled her twice, which is absolutely false.”
Chigvintsev also disputed Bella’s claim that “she was holding our son and I grabbed Matteo from her and barricaded myself in the room.”
“This was a complete LIE,” he said. “But it mase [sic] sense why I was arrested instead of her.”
Both parties are seeking permanent restraining orders against the other and are due back in court on October 21 for a hearing to consider the requests.
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev met in 2017 when they were paired together on Dancing With The Stars. They didn’t start dating until two years later, which was shown heavily on the WWE-produced “Total Bellas” television show about the lives of Nikki & Brie Bell. The pair were married in August 2022.