[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Artem Chigvintsev is opening up about what happened leading to his domestic violence arrest — and his version of the story is very different from that of his ex Nikki Garcia!
As Perezcious readers know, the WWE star formerly known as Nikki Bella obtained a restraining order on Monday against her estranged husband after he was arrested for corporal injury to a spouse for an incident back on August 29 in Napa Valley, California.
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The documents provided the first substantial information about what happened inside that house before cops arrived — and it was pretty disturbing. In short, the wrestler claimed she and the dancer were bickering over their son Matteo‘s breakfast (with Artem frustrated about having to toast an English muffin and that she made the child a “picky eater”).
As things escalated, she tossed one of the boy’s shoes at her partner. Artem then allegedly ran upstairs with the boy, locking them in his room. Nikki tried to get in but was “tackled” and “pinned” to the ground. Again, Artem then shoved her down the hall and forced her to the bathroom floor, where he allegedly pressed on her chest near her sternum making her feel like she was suffocating.
At some point during this confrontation, Artem called the cops, claiming his wife had thrown shoes at him, and requested medical assistance, which he later canceled. Cops still showed up and ultimately arrested him, though. You can read all her allegations HERE.
So, that’s Nikki’s story. What does Artem have to say for himself??
Just like his attorney has been spewing, the Strictly Come Dancing alum insists he was NOT the primary aggressor in the fight! On Friday, TMZ obtained the Dancing with the Stars pro’s new legal filing in which he requested his own restraining order. In it, he argued that Nikki made up the domestic violence allegations that landed him behind bars!
In the filing, Artem accused Nikki of being the main aggressor, and having major anger issues. He recalled cooking breakfast for their 4-year-old son at their Napa County home that August morning as Nikki was stressing over what to wear to a Netflix event days later. The Total Bellas star then allegedly started arguing with him about his inability to toast the bread correctly. The argument escalated, and he was scolded for placing two food options (a quesadilla and chicken tenders) in Matteo’s lunch box.
Artem claims he then left the kitchen and went into the living room to help the boy get ready for school. According to him, that’s when his wife followed and yelled at him, complaining that he couldn’t even put the kid’s shoes on correctly. He said he defended himself (it’s unclear how), and this only made the athlete more upset. That’s when she threw sneakers at him, hitting him in the chest (she claimed he was hit in the leg). Nikki also allegedly screamed about getting a divorce while Matteo reportedly stood in the middle of the chaos frightened and confused. The poor kid…
To protect Matteo, the father claims he pleaded with the 40-year-old to calm down, and then he brought their child upstairs. Nikki followed them and tried to force open the door to Matteo’s bedroom, but Artem reportedly held it closed with the small boy crying next to him. Eventually, Artem squeezed through an opening in the door to escape the room so their son wouldn’t be exposed to the fight. However, Nikki allegedly shoved her way inside the room and started attacking him. He claims in his attempt to stop her, they ended up grappling on the floor.
When he broke free, he called the cops on his cell while Nikki allegedly shouted threats in the background, including:
“Do you understand here this is gonna go now Artem. You just ruined my career and you know it.”
Artem also included photos of injuries, mostly small nicks and scrapes, that he sustained to his hand, elbow, and the back of his head. See (below):
Artem Chigvintsev Fires Back at Nikki Bella as Divorce Gets Ugly | Click to read more ???? https://t.co/0AL8jNWDm3
— TMZ (@TMZ) October 4, 2024
What’s most important, though, is that when cops arrived, they ultimately arrested Artem — something they legally only could’ve done for this kind of charge if they’d seen injuries on Nikki. So, if they had observed his injuries, standard practice would have been for them to arrest Nikki for domestic violence. But that obviously didn’t happen. We guess either they didn’t see the injuries, or maybe Nikki’s were worse? We wonder if Matteo’s involvement in this influenced the authorities?? In Nikki’s filing, she claims the child told cops, “Daddy hurt my hand.” Hmm.
As for his court filing, Artem was granted a temporary restraining order against Nikki. He will not face charges but is in the middle of a divorce thanks to this legal matter. As mentioned, she also obtained a restraining order against him. It’s a lot…
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.