Judge Nikki Bella Sizes Up Competition on ‘America’s Got Talent: Extreme’

Nikki Bella knows a thing or two about death-defying moves and performing on a grand stage. It’s those experiences the WWE Hall of Famer pulls from as a judge on America’s Got Talent: Extreme, where she’s joined by fellow panelists Simon Cowell (also a creator and exec producer) and action sports legend, Travis Pastrana plus host Terry Crews.

The spinoff to the popular series will venture outside the theater and into the open air to present “outrageous, unique and jaw-dropping acts of enormous scale and magnitude.” Much like the original, contestants compete each week with $500,000 and the right to be called AGT: Extreme champion on the line. 

Here Bella tells us what to expect from the new show and reflects on her return to the WWE ring. 

How would you describe the judging panel dynamic?

Nikki Bella: From the first day, it was perfect chemistry. Sometimes you don’t know what you’re going to get. We all clicked. We all had a lot of fun. You’re going to see how incredible the chemistry is. 

How has it been getting to know Simon Cowell?

I was, at first, very intimidated. He is the judge of judges. He is so iconic. From the moment I met him, he was so encouraging and gave great advice. He made Travis and I feel so comfortable. I now see why he has had the same people around him from Day One. When you get to know the crew and producers, everyone has been with Simon for over a decade. He is so down-to-earth and not what I was expecting. On top of that, this guy is a genius. I get why he is where he is at. I learned a lot from him just through the process. He was a mentor. 

Photo by: Sami Drasin/NBC

You’re used to competing for fans in WWE and for judges on Dancing with the Stars. What did you take from those experiences as a judge yourself?

When it comes to wrestling, we don’t redo any matches. We go out there in front of millions of viewers and live crowd and put on a show. Instead of getting a yes or no, 1 to 10, we’re having you connect to our story. Then you go to Dancing with the Stars, it’s once again millions of viewers watching live and judges and a live crowd and trying to get the best score to win a competition. I first related by knowing what it was like. And then more so as a judge, I know what it’s like to do something different where either the world accepts it or doesn’t. I appreciate the hard work. When I watched these contestants, I asked myself questions. How hard was it for them to get here? Do they have the heart of a champion? How perfectly did they do their act live in front of the judges and the crowd behind us? I put all those ingredients together when I watch someone. 

What can you tell us about the acts and stories we’re going to see?

It’s so great we’re providing a platform for all these acts. You’re going to hear what pushed them to do these almost life-or-death experiences. They are absolutely insane, amazing, so talented. You’re literally going to see things you can’t believe. You’re looking at how high they are in the air with nothing to protect them. There is fire and so much going on. Not one act did I walk away saying, “Well that wasn’t great.” I couldn’t believe what they were doing. 

How was it being outdoors and not in your typical theater?

It’s more thrilling. You’re outdoors so truly the sky is the limit. Our acts go as high in the air as they want. There are motorbikes, all these different things that are used that can’t be indoors. To me, it’s so much more exciting outdoors. The noises. You see these gigantic ramps thinking, “What’s going to happen here?” There is so much more to be done in this environment. We can build as big as we want. Our campaign is called “Level Up.” That’s truly what it is. It’s a whole other level of excitement and thrills. You’re going to be on the edge of your seat.”  

How did you feel physically after being in the ring again at Royal Rumble? What was it like being in that WWE locker room again in 2022?

It was so incredible. Brie and I had a moment where we were selling on the ground during the Rumble. We were thinking, “This is so awesome.” We just didn’t want it to end. We didn’t want to get out. It felt amazing. We were nervous at first because we hadn’t been in the ring for three years. You can go and practice, but there is nothing like a live crowd and going full at it. It was like riding a bike. We didn’t have to say a word. We didn’t miss a beat. 

Have we seen the last of the Bella Twins in a WWE ring?

We really hope there is an opportunity to go after the tag titles. Being in the ring with Bianca Belair, I would love to come back and work with Bianca. I would love to come back and work with Rhea [Ripley]. I’m a huge fangirl of hers. Just seeing her presence in the ring-up close, I would die to do a story with her. It felt so cool to be in the ring again with Ronda [Rousey]. She is just awesome and has an incredible presence. We all had a lot of fun in the locker room after. I really missed it, but I’m in mom mode and things are different now. I was sore for a few days. I can’t lie. The show made me think about how we can come back and do more of a story. Unfortunately, where we are at in our lives Brie and I can never be back full-time. We hope there is something soon or in the future that we can come back and do something. Just getting the taste in the ring made us want more. 

Lastly, what’s would you say is the most extreme thing you’ve done aside from being in a pro wrestling ring?

I was going to say fighting Ronda Rousey before you finished the question. I don’t think anyone volunteers to do that. Besides that, I’ve done some crazy things on dirt bikes. When I was in college I decided to sign up for a dirt biking race. It was a dare, and I didn’t know what I was thinking. Hey, I actually placed. That was pretty extreme. Everything extreme I truly have done beyond that would be what I did in that ring. I feel like I’ve hit a lot of extreme moments. 

Some would say becoming a mom is pretty extreme.

It is extremely extreme. Nothing like popping a baby out. 

America’s Got Talent: Extreme, February 21, 8/7c, NBC