Nikki Bella says she is hoping for a return to WWE by the end of June following the ankle injury she suffered during a SmackDown match in March, but has acknowledged that she will not know more until doctors re-examine her next month.

Speaking to USA Today, Bella described the conversation with her medical team.

"(The medical team says) 'not until I see what your ankle looks like in June,' and I'm like, 'But if you were to just guess,' and they're like, 'Don't know, not until June.'"

She expressed optimism about a late June return while cautioning herself against rushing back.

"I'm hoping, for me in my head, end of June would be incredible, but I also don't want to go back too early, because you know the big part about when people get reinjured is because their strength isn't matching, so I need to make sure the calves, the quads, glutes, I need to make sure they're all built up."

Bella was injured during a March 27 SmackDown match in which she and Brie Bella defeated Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair. She was unable to compete at WrestleMania 42, where Brie and Paige won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. A return at the end of June would line up with WWE Night of Champions on June 27 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She underwent surgery for it shortly before WrestleMania.