Returning WWE Legend Believed Saudi Arabia Fans Won’t Know Her

A returning WWE superstar admits she was so nervous at the Royal Rumble for a particular reason.

At the WWE Royal Rumble PLE, one of the things that fans love the most is the surprise entrants in the Women’s and Men’s Royal Rumble matches.

While the 2026 Royal Rumble matches may not have had enough surprises for some fans, the biggest one in the Women’s Royal Rumble was the return of the WWE Hall of Famer Brie Bella, who reunited with her twin sister Nikki to reform the Bella Twins.

Nikki was back in the ring for most of the last year and even competed in title matches. For Brie, it was her first WWE match since the 2022 Royal Rumble, and before that, it was in October 2018 when she last competed in a tag team match.

During an interview on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, Brie Bella admitted she was so nervous about the Royal Rumble match because she didn’t know if the Saudi Arabian fans in Riyadh would remember her.

“Okay. Can I tell you something? I was so stressed out. I had myself convinced that they didn’t know who I was. Actually, when I did get the call to be in the Rumble, I was like, ‘Does Saudi know who I am? Is that a good idea?’

And then, ask Nikki, up until my music hit I was just like, ‘Oh please Lord, let them at least give me a little something. I just hope that they know me.’ I wasn’t sure. So I was so shocked when it went off. I felt the energy so much. I couldn’t even control myself. It was like so exciting.”

The crowd reaction for Brie Bella was very strong in the Women’s Royal Rumble match, as she mentioned above.

Brie Bella Reveals Who Called To Set Up WWE Return

In another interview talking about her return to the ring, Brie Bella admitted that it was WWE President Nick Khan who reached out to her about coming back, rather than fellow WWE Hall of Famer Triple H.

I’ve been wanting to come back. I would joke about it a lot, but yeah, I kept hearing no, and so when it came Thanksgiving time, I was like, ‘Alright, I’m not going back,’ and so, I kind of just started to look at 2026 differently.

I had a couple other opportunities that were put on the table, so I started to engage in those, and then Nick Khan all of a sudden called me, and I wasn’t expecting it, and just really wanted me back. I was very shocked, and I was like, ‘Alright….’ And I’m grateful to Nick for bringing me back because I definitely thought the door was closed, and I’m happy that it reopened. (h/t Fightful)

On the Monday Night Raw episode after the Royal Rumble, the Bella Twins made it clear that they were coming after the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles, which they had never held before, since they didn’t exist when the sisters were full-time members of the roster.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the original source and h/t with a link back to TJR Wrestling for the transcription.