Too early to tell! Artem Chigvintsev isn’t sure whether son Matteo will follow in his or Nikki Bella’s footsteps.
“Right now, it’s hard to tell because today he literally had this playground with the animals hanging and today, he tore the monkey,” the Dancing With the Stars pro, 38, told Us Weekly and other reporters on Monday, November 9. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ I can’t believe he just did that. But at the same time, he moves his legs so fast. Maybe a runner? I don’t know.”
The Russian dancer added that his and the Total Bellas star’s 3-month-old is “definitely athletic” already.
When asked about Matteo possibly seeing his mom back in the wrestling ring one day, Chigvintsev replied, “She’s been having talks about coming back and doing something together with [her twin sister], Brie [Bella.] They both have kids, and I feel like they still have this unclosed chapter with wrestling. I would not be surprised.”
The Burn the Floor alum explained that Nikki needed to be careful about her previous neck surgery, adding, “I’d love to be cheering in the front row sitting with Matteo on my lap … like, ‘Go, Mommy, go!’”
Nikki announced her WWE retirement in March 2019, saying she felt “too old to travel.” The reveal came weeks after Brie, who is the mother of daughter Birdie, 3, and son Buddy, 3 months, put an end to her wrestling career as well.
As for Chigvintsev, the choreographer competed on seasons 19 through 27 of DWTS as a pro before he was cut from the cast in August 2019. He called the news a “massive shock” at the time.
“There was never a thought in my mind that I’m not gonna be doing it,” the Broadway star explained in a “Total Bellas Podcast” episode later that same month. “There’s always a chance, as a pro, you might be doing some performances on the show and there’s still an involvement in some sort. But getting this call, [hearing], ‘There’s gonna be no involvement in the show from now on,’ it’s like going through a breakup after 10 years.”
Chigvintsev was asked back in August for season 29 and is currently teamed with Bachelorette alum Kaitlyn Bristowe. “I just can’t wait to get back,” he previously gushed on Good Morning America. “And I want to dedicate this season to my little boy.”
With reporting by Kayley Stumpe
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