WWE’s Nikki Bella overcomes injury to wrestle at Thomas & Mack Saturday

Stephanie McMahon wasn’t lying when she said there would be a revolution in the WWE led by the women’s division.

The popularity of women’s wrestling in the WWE is at an all-time high. Unlike before, women superstars are now accustomed to getting longer matches, main events, intriguing storylines to open shows, and most importantly, an opportunity to be in the same spotlight as the men.

When McMahon, the chief brand officer of the WWE, made her announcement on July 13, 2015, which is now known as the start of the “Divas Revolution,” she introduced Charlotte, the talented daughter of Hall of Famer Ric Flair, Sasha Banks, the beloved “Boss,” and Becky Lynch, the “Irish Lass Kicker.”

But while the electric trio was taking over the WWE, the company’s biggest women’s star of the last few years was not at the forefront.

Nikki Bella, the longest reigning women’s champion in WWE history, didn’t have her storylines reduced to make room for the new talent. She was dealing with a serious neck injury that sidelined her for 11 months.

“Before my surgery, there was a chance that this would be career ending, and there was a 99 percent chance that it was,” Bella said.

The one percent of hope was all the “Fearless Nikki” needed.

Bella, with her trademark backwards cap and red Nike Dunks, is back in the ring and will be in action Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center during the WWE Live show. Bella’s boyfriend is also expected to have a match. You might have heard of him. He’s John Cena, the 15-time WWE world champion.

The WWE Live event will be hosted by the SmackDown roster, which includes stars such as Randy Orton, A.J. Styles and Dean Ambrose, a Las Vegas resident.

Bella, whose real name is Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace, probably didn’t imagine competing in a ring in Las Vegas when she underwent neck surgery in January. For six months, Bella didn’t know if her wrestling days were over.

“I had an X-ray three months after surgery and that’s when I was told it was looking good,” Bella said. “But I really didn’t know until I got my CT scan and X-ray six months after surgery. They told I could get back to ring, but with certain rules.”

Bella made her surprise return at SummerSlam last month when she was a late replacement for Eva Marie in a six-woman tag team match. Bella, who thought her return would be in October, got the call two days before the annual summer show.

“When I got the call I was told to sit down,” Bella said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. Am I getting fired?’ I was so nervous when I got the news. The reaction I got from the crowd told me, ‘Hey, I’m home.’ This where I’m meant to be.”

Bella was away from the spotlight for almost a year, but she’ll be all over the television sets in the upcoming months. When Bella isn’t wrestling on a SmackDown show, she’s a reality TV star. Bella will have a new six-episode show called “Total Bellas” airing Wednesdays starting Oct. 5 on the E! channel. The series will shed light on Bella’s road to recovery while her twin sister, Brie Bella, and her husband, Daniel Bryan, moved into her household.

Brie Bella and Bryan are also popular WWE stars, but both recently retired from wrestling.

“The whole show I’m in a neck brace or a bone stimulator,” Nikki Bella said. “The cameras caught me before and after my surgery. And there’s so much more going on with Brie and Bryan moving in with John (Cena) and I.

“There was a lot going on. Bryan being forced to retire (due to injury), John with his shoulder surgery, Brie retired, and we’re all in this time to our life where stuff was coming to an end and it was very difficult and it was a very compelling season.”

Don’t worry, “Total Divas” fans. The hit reality show featuring the Bella Twins and WWE women’s superstars returns for a sixth season this fall on E!

Nikki Bella is happy to see the trio of Charlotte, Banks and Lynch take the women’s division to new heights, but it was hard for her not to be a part of the cultural change in the last year.

Bella has wrestled professionally the past 10 years and is a big reason why women wrestlers are getting more opportunities to become household stars.

“I had accomplished so many things, so many amazing accomplishments,” Bella said, “that I had people tell me, ‘Why are you coming back? Just retire.’

“My return was to be a part of this new women’s era, to be part of something that I’ve worked hard for the past 10 years, and the women before me who worked hard for it.”

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.