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Artem Chigvintsev filed for an order of protection against his estranged wife, WWE Hall of Famer Nikki "Bella" Garcia according to The New York Post. This comes just after Garcia filed for and received a restraining order against Chigvintsev.
Garcia filed for divorce from Chigvintsev in the fallout of his 8/29 arrest for domestic battery. Chigvintsev was booked into the Napa Valley Jail at 9:59 AM that morning under California Penal Code Section 273.5(a), which notes, is is "illegal to injure a spouse, cohabitant or fellow parent in an act of domestic violence. This offense is also referred to as domestic abuse, domestic violence, or corporal injury to a spouse." The Napa County Sheriff turned over the case file for Chigvintsev's arrest to The Napa County District Attorney's office in California, which later declined to prosecute.
Chigvintsev's attorney issued the following statement to The Post:
“It is crucial to consider the motivations of both parties in this situation. Mr. Chigvintsev contacted law enforcement on 8/29/24 seeking protection from his wife’s persistent aggression. While he was on the phone with the police, Ms. Garcia-Colace made a pointed statement, saying, ‘Do you understand where this is going now, Artem? You just ruined my career, and you know it.' That day, someone was going to be arrested, and it wouldn’t have been Mr. Chigvintsev if Ms. Garcia Colace had told the truth. [Chigvintsev] denies ever tackling her. He was shocked to learn two weeks after the incident that she made this allegation against him; at that point it made sense to him why he was arrested. As a result of wife’s self-serving statement, Mr. Chigvintsev’s career suffered, with numerous opportunities being canceled due to these false allegations. Men can also be victims of domestic violence; Mr. Chigvintsev’s case highlights this reality. He was not the primary aggressor.”
The Post acquired a copy of the Chigvintsev's court filing, which alleged the couple got into an argument over their son Matteo's breakfast, but his version is that Garcia criticized him for not having their son's breakfast and packed lunch ready. He alleged Garcia seemed stress over her upcoming job (Netflix's Unfinished Beef competitive eating special, which Garcia hosted.) Garcia complained that she did everything for their son and that Chigvintsev did nothing, which he denied in the filing. He alleged that Garcia continued to verbally berate him as he took their son to leave for school, at which point Garcia attacked him over their son's shoes. She allegedly began screaming at him and demanding Chigvintsev leave the home. He then alleged she threw their son's sneakers at him, even though their son was right next to him. Chigvintsev claimed his priority was their son, who was very confused as Garcia began screaming about wanting a divorce.
Chigvintsev claimed he took their son upstairs to de-escalate the situation but Garcia tried to force her way through the door. “I could not hold it, because she’s quite strong. As soon as the door began opening, Matteo start[ed] crying,” Chigvintsev alleged according to The Post report. “I did not want him seeing his mother angry and confrontational in his bedroom. I wanted to protect Matteo from her lack of self-control at the moment.”
Chigvintsev said he pushed himself through the door so their son would not see anything and that there was struggle with both falling to the ground. Chigvintsev said he went outside and called law enforcement and waited for them, only to be shocked when he was the arrested party. He cited in the filing that Garcia was the aggressor in the situation, and claimed that he learned on 9/13 that Garcia had allegedly lied to the police who came to their home.
Chigvintsev's filing included photos of alleged injuries caused by Garcia's actions to his hand, neck and elbow.
Obviously, his version is vastly difference from Garcia's accounting of events.
There will be a hearing on 10/21.
The couple's relationship and wedding were chronicled over the course of several WWE reality series on E!
The couple met while Nikki was competing on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, where Chingvintsev was paired with her. Chingvintsev is not part of the current season for the competitive dance series.
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