Nikki Bella posted a GIF of The New Day with a caption that echoed their catchphrase the week she faced Paige on SmackDown. Fans tied the post to a years-old leaked private video involving Paige and a member of The New Day; Nikki has not confirmed that interpretation.
On Sept. 11 Nikki Bella posted a The New Day GIF with the caption “IT’S A NEW DAY YES IT IS” before her SmackDown match with Paige.
Fans linked the post to a past leaked private video involving Paige and Xavier Woods, interpreting the image and timing as an intentional jab.
Paige had made personal attacks about Nikki’s relationships during the Sept. 4 SmackDown backstage segment, escalating the feud.
# What happened
On Sept. 11, Nikki Bella posted a GIF of The New Day to Instagram with the caption: "All week I had to try hard to get over the things @saraya said to me last Friday on SmackDown. And you know what… this morning I thought to myself IT'S A NEW DAY YES IT IS and that made me feel a lot better!" She added a SmackDown tag and noted the show in Mexico City that night.
Fans noticed the choice of The New Day image and immediately read it as a targeted response tied to Paige's past. The timing—one week after a heated exchange on SmackDown—made the post stand out.
# Why fans read the post as a jab
Paige had taken personal shots at Nikki during a backstage segment on Sept. 4. She used John Cena's catchphrase while making sexual comments about Nikki's past relationships and referenced Nikki's divorce, saying she would end Nikki's career faster than Nikki's last relationship.
Several fans connected Nikki's New Day post to a separate, older incident: a private sexual video involving Paige and Xavier Woods that was leaked without her consent years earlier. Because Xavier Woods is associated with The New Day, users in the Instagram comments interpreted Nikki's post and the phrase "IT'S A NEW DAY YES IT IS" as a deliberate nod to that incident.
# What Nikki did publicly before and after
Immediately after the Sept. 4 SmackDown segment, Nikki replied on social media that she'd handle Paige in Mexico City, posting: "Um they sure did!! I'll end that smack talk in Mexico City! @Saraya will see that it's MI CASA!!" The Sept. 11 post did not mention Paige, Woods, or the leaked video by name.
Nikki has not explained why she chose The New Day GIF, and she did not explicitly reference the leaked video or Xavier Woods in the caption.
# Fan reactions and examples
Commenters filled the Instagram thread with interpretations and provocative responses. One fan wrote they just realized the "shade" in the second slide. Another referenced Xavier Woods directly, and a third suggested Nikki's post could trigger painful memories for Paige. These reactions circulated quickly and amplified the idea that Nikki's post was intentional.
# What is confirmed
# Why this matters to the feud
# Bottom line
Nikki Bella has seemingly found a creative way to respond to Paige after their personal war of words on last week’s WWE SmackDown. With the two set to face each other in Mexico City, Nikki’s latest social media post seemingly referenced The New Day, who are now signed to AEW as The New Level. The […] The post Nikki Bel
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