Stephanie Vaquer is on track for a major WrestleMania match. (Credit: Michael Marques/WWE via Getty Images)
WWE via Getty Images
WWE Survivor Series 2025 featured Nikki Bella’s biggest match since 2018: a Women’s World Championship match against rising star Stephanie Vaquer.
Just a couple of months ago, Bella and Vaquer were loosely associated rivals on-screen, but after a heel turn that Bella herself wanted but fans could see a mile away, Bella found herself in a world title match at Survivor Series despite losing the vast majority of her matches since her return earlier this year.
With most of Raw’s top women’s stars either battling for the Intercontinental or Women’s Tag Team Championship, Bella was a solid candidate to feud with the red hot Vaquer en route to WWE Survivor Series.
WWE Survivor Series 2025 Results for Nikki Bella vs. Stephanie Vaquer
At WWE Survivor Series: WarGames, Raw’s alpha dogs Becky Lynch, Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley found themselves competing in a WarGames match that opened up a slot for Bella to challenge Stephanie Vaquer.
At least in Bella’s case, however, things didn’t go as planned. Vaquer retained her Women’s World Championship with a victory over Bella following a picturesque corkscrew splash.
Here are the key highlights and moments from Vaquer’s win over Bella at WWE Survivor Series 2025:
- Bella immediately attacked Vaquer, who quickly rebounded and gained control. The two stars went to the outside briefly, but Vaquer missed a knee drop on the ring apron, allowing Bella to take advantage and unleash an attack on Vaquer.
- After Bella choked Vaquer on the ropes, she went for a Rack Attack, but Vaquer avoided and locked in an armbar on the ropes. Bella hit Vaquer with a spinebuster and teased hitting Vaquer’s Devil’s Kiss, but Vaquer rolled her up and then hit a back suplex. Vaquer went for Devil’s Kiss much to the delight of the crowd, but Bella rolled into the ropes to break the hold.
- Vaquer hit Bella with a thrust kick and then the two stars exchanged blows. Ultimately, Vaquer hit a big head butt and a comeback complete with a snap suplex. Vaquer rolled up Bella for a two-count and then narrowly avoided a big boot in the corner before hitting Bella with a dragon screw followed by an SVB.
- Bella kicked out and went for the Rack Attack, but Vaquer avoided it and hit a Kneeteora in the corner. Vaquer attempted a top rop move, but Bella knocked her off and hit a kick off the rope followed by a Rack Attack 2.0. However, Vaquer was able to get her foot on the bottom rope to avoid the pin.
- On the apron, Bella attempted to powerbomb Vaquer, who reversed it and hit a nicious knee drop. Vaquer picked up Bella onto the announce table and then hit to the Devil’s Kiss 10 times onto the table as the crowd cheered wildly. Vaquer rolled Belal back into the ring and hit another back suplex. She hi the Devil’s Kiss again and then nailed the top rope corkscrew splash for the 1-2-3.
Vaquer won the then-vacant Women’s World Championhip at WrestlePalooza in September, and with her win at WWE Survivor Series, _____she is nearing the 70-day mark as champion.
WWE Survivor Series 2025 Results: What’s Next for Stephanie Vaquer and Nikki Bella?
Vaquer’s decisive win over Bella at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2025 suggests that this feud is over, but in WWE, that often isn’t the case.
Yes, Vaquer left PetCo Park with the Women’s World Championship, but Bella’s recent heel turn leaves some room to extend this feud for at least another few weeks and perhaps int0 2026. Bella recently expressed that this will be her final WWE run before retiring, so WWE will assuredly want to get the most of her final last stint with the company.
Given that the likes of Lynch, Ripley, Sky and other top Raw stars are currently involved in long-term storylines of their own, Bella figures to hover around Vaquer and the Women’s World Championship for the foreseeable future. Will Bella, a WWE Hall of Famer, get one last Championship reign? That, well, is highly doubtful.
WWE is reportedly already considering potential WrestleMania 42 opponents for Vaquer and has marquee two names in mind in the aforementioned Lynch and Ripley. “The Man” has been tremendous work in recent months, elevating both Maxxine Dupri and Lyra Valkyria to the greatest heights of their careers while also maintaining her own credibility. Ripley, of course, is always a candidate to enter the world title scene as well.
In the long term, WWE is almost undoubtedly building toward Vaquer defending her title against one of those two major stars, perhaps after 0ne of them wins the 2026 Royal Rumble. That would mean that WWE will have to continue to build up Vaquer, a relative newcomer but incredible in-ring performer, as a credible main event talent.
Vaquer is one of the best wrestlers in the world and continues to deepen her connection with the WWE fan base. After her win over Bella at WWE Survivor Series, expect her to continue to rack up win after win in the months ahead in anticipation of a blockbuster WrestleMania match with Lynch or Ripley.