One of the biggest stories going around in the professional wrestling world is the break up of longtime couple John Cena and Nikki Bella.

Cena has been the top star in WWE for nearly two decades and has branched out as a huge name in pop culture and film as his acting career continues to skyrocket. Nikki Bella has gained fame from her appearances on E!'s reality shows Total Divas and Total Bellas.

Bella is also one of the most successful female talents in WWE history. To say the least, Cena and Bella were a major power couple in WWE and seemed very much in love with one another on television.

So it came as a huge shock when the pair released a joint statement announcing that they had decided to split up and go their separate ways.

Over the past several weeks some have been trying to puzzle together why the pair, who got engaged at WrestleMania 33 last year, decided to call it quits. 

Several rumors have been shut down by the likes of Brie Bella, and both Nikki and John have commented publicly that they're going through a difficult time right now after the decision.

There are also those who have begun to speculate that the entire thing could just be a work (wrestling terminology for fake) in order to garner more publicity for the upcoming season of Total Bellas.

It could also be a personal plan by Nikki and John to take the public eye off of their upcoming wedding to make it a more private affair.

Regardless, Mike Johnson of PWInsider admitted that he has heard some rumblings of the split potentially being a work (quotes via Ringside News):

“Speaking of Cena, I want to go back to the Backlash stuff. I have heard some rumblings that your theory may be correct about this entire situation being a work.

"I don’t have enough to report it or anything but there have definitely been some people who mutter, who have been whispering similar concerns. So you might be onto something there.

"So, I’m just telling you that if it comes out that this was a work, I am giving you credit now that you were the first one to call it.

“They were together before the whole Total Divas began and then they had to ask John if he would do the show. He always did it because he said it was good for her and good for the company.

"But announcing that they had broken up just a few weeks before Total Bellas debuts — certainly that’s a lot of free publicity leading into the new season.

"With WWE in the middle of doing television negotiations, so lets show NBC Universal how worthwhile our reality show are for them — and their ratings have been down compared to previous seasons.”

What are your thoughts on the possibility of John Cena and Nikki Bella's split potentially being a work? Do you think that it's possible? Or are people simply reading too much into the private lives of two of WWE's most famous stars? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below!

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