“They knew I was going to be a perfect fit for this show because I come from an extreme sport industry and I thrive on adrenaline rush,” Nikki told Parade.com in this exclusive interview. “To have a front row seat to all these incredible acts that thrive on the same thing has been so thrilling and exciting for me. I do have those ‘oh s**t’ moments, where I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh’ or ‘Why are they doing this?’ but I love it. I love getting that feeling.” Nikki is a two-time WWE Divas Champion and holds the record for the longest reign—301 days—with that title, so as a woman who has put it all on the line, she feels a connection to the acts that she is judging. She may not have performed the same stunts that they are doing, but she does feel as if she’s been in their shoes in a sense. “I feel like I relate to every act in some way because of how I made it to where I’m at, what I’ve overcome, and what people didn’t believe that I could do,” Nikki said. “But then also pushing myself in that way, like, ‘This is going to be scary, but I know I can do it and I am going to do it.’” But it is more than just the feats the contestants perform; it is also their backstories and what drives them that appeals to Nikki. “What’s neat and what AGT does so well is everyone has a very heartwarming story or a reason why they’re doing what they do, and I can relate to that,” Nikki added. “But then, they’re also doing something that’s unique to the world, pushing their limits, being fearless and brave, and having that never-give-up mentality, and even the heart of a champion.” For more of what Nikki had to say about working with Simon Cowell, why she picked Aaron Wheelz as her Golden Buzzer, and if she and her former Dancing with the Stars partner and fiancé Artem Chigvintsev are still dancing, read on! Did you know Simon Cowell before this? Is he who you expected him to be? No, I didn’t. I’d never met Simon. I have always been a fan of his but never have met him. I have to be honest; I was very intimidated meeting him at first because I just didn’t know what to expect. And it was nothing like what I imagined it to be. Simon is very down to earth, very sweet, and he had a lot of amazing advice. To become a new judge and to share a panel with someone like him who’s so iconic and so genius, it was difficult. He made Travis [Pastrana] and I both feel so comfortable. He was so encouraging, and I was very delightfully surprised. Why did you pick Aaron Wheelz as your Golden Buzzer? Was it his story or was it the actual act? For me it was the actual act. We don’t get to know the story before we meet them, and we’re meeting them for the first time. So, we don’t even know what they’re going to do. When we ride up, I look at the setup and I’m like, “OK, so there’s a ramp,” and that’s really how I narrow down what’s going to happen. We get no prep. We prefer it that way because I feel that as a judge, it’s better to start from scratch. I’m terrified of heights. So, walking up those stairs and looking down the ramp [for Aaron’s stunt], I was like, “This is crazy.” And then when you’re up there you realize the ramp is not that wide. To be in a wheelchair, strapped in, and to know that you have to go perfectly straight down that ramp and then get thrown in the air to do some cool trick, I was like, “Whoa! That is extreme.” What really got me was Aaron’s will and his never giving up. He fell that first time and he’s like, “No, I want to do this. Please let me do this.” So, his story did play a part of it because not only is Aaron an inspiration but immediately when he went again, I’m like, “He’s an aspiration.” He is someone that other people who have his condition can aspire to be, that they can do whatever they want, that the impossible is possible, and he helped them get there. Everything about him made me see him as a champion. He has the heart of a champion, he’s who I’d want to take to the championship game because I know he’d give me everything that he had on that field. Then he made me emotional. I’m like, “A lot of people don’t do this and now he’s made me emotional” So he got my Golden Buzzer. How hard is it to say no? There was Jenna Bandy, the woman who holds the record for basketball throws, but then she couldn’t deliver on the day. I will admit, and the guys gave me a hard time about this, it’s really hard for me to say no because I just understand when people give it their all. And Jenna is an empowering woman. What she does is so badass for women. I loved her personality. I could tell she was really nervous, but to get out there, that’s brave of her. And to do what she does, that already wins me over. To say no is so hard because I think being a mom softened me a bit. And so, I get so proud of these contestants, but then I have to remind myself, “They’re fighting for $500,000, Nicole.” Those were some of the beginning acts, so I was like, “Next season, if and when we have one, I have to get stricter with things and be a little firmer, a little sterner.” You had an idea going into this what it was like. You’d seen AGT and the danger acts on there. Was there something that surprised you or that wasn’t what you expected it to be? I mean just alone last week, Jade Kindar Martin and his fire line. He’s so high up in the air and there’s nothing on the ground, no protection. And then he lights it on fire and he’s walking and he’s doing this incredible dance to music. I’m like, “Oh, my gosh.” Then he gets on a bike and then he’s trying to balance on a bike. Those were the things that I never thought I would see in person. You feel the energy and I think we’ve captured that so well where our TV audience gets to feel that same energy and excitement and thrill. There’s one coming up that I never thought I would see in my life. I would have never dreamed of it. This woman had a dangerously, beautifully creative idea and AGT: Extreme had it come to life. You’re going to be seeing her and I was like, “This is probably the coolest, most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life—and dangerous.” And I never thought I’d have all those words in one sentence. To be in awe and then be like, “Oh, my gosh.” What’s the most extreme thing you’ve ever done? I definitely would say, especially in my career, it’s fighting Ronda Rousey. I don’t think many people would get in the ring with her. That’s pretty extreme. I’ve been meaning to actually sit and think about this because I’ve been asked this a few times and I’ve done extreme things; I know I’ve been scared before. Anything that goes with heights. I’ve never been one to jump out of a plane. I save all that for Travis. But I got on a dirt bike for the first time, I’d never ridden one. There was a competition happening out in the desert and someone was like, “Do you want to do it?” I was like, “Sure, I don’t know how to ride but I’ll just go out there.” I jumped on a bike, and I didn’t win but I didn’t do bad. I had a pretty bad fall. So, that was a fearless thing I think actually Travis would be proud of. But other than that, definitely fighting Ronda. That’s something extreme in my book. You mentioned getting back in the ring earlier. You’ve said you’d never go back full-time, but are you interested in making guest appearances? Definitely. My sister and I, we’re still ambassadors for the company and WWE is our home, we just love WWE. You see how Dwayne [“The Rock”] comes back, and it’s just always our home. Even just being at the past Royal Rumble, I just miss it. Even running down, being in front of Bella Army and the WWE universe and getting in the ring and having Brie by my side … I remember Brie and I took a moment when we were in there and we were like, “Damn, we miss this.” I hope that in the future there’s definitely some type of run that Brie and I can come back for. I’ve always respected the women there so much, so I would never want to take anyone’s spot or anyone’s time who’s deserving of it and puts in the work all year long. But if there’s an opportunity to help elevate a story or just get back and fight, especially with my sister, we absolutely would love to do that. You met Artem Chigvintsev at Dancing With The Stars. Do you two ever go out dancing? You know what’s funny? We did before I got pregnant, salsa dancing. Artem always said during Dancing with the Stars how I needed to control my hips. So now that we’re together he’s like, “You know salsa’s the perfect dance for you? You can let your hips be wild.” So, we would go salsa dancing every now and then, which I loved because it’s so sexy and fun and beautiful. And we’d eat and drink. Since Matteo [was born], we really haven’t. I told Artem that when we both slow down, if ever, that’s one thing I want to bring back into our relationship because I feel very fortunate that I’m with a professional dancer. I have to say as a woman there’s nothing that makes me feel more feminine than when I’m dancing with Artem and just having my man have full control of me. It’s like crazy sexy. So, I had told him that is something that I want to bring back in because I feel small and sexy and girly and flirty and I need that because I’m very dominating, and I’m a tomboy so it’s those little things as a woman that I just love. America’s Got Talent: Extreme airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Next, Danger, Thrills and Excitement! Everything You Need to Know About America’s Got Talent: Extreme
