When people think about World Wrestling Entertainment, they might think about people like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Hulk Hogan, and John Cena. However, men are not the only stars who fans love to see go head-to-head. Over the years, many women have cemented their status within WWE, including Chyna, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, and the Bella twins, Nikki and Brie.
Nikki and Brie Bella (real names Nikki and Brie Garcia) may be the most well-known female wrestlers due to the fact that they used their WWE fame to launch successful reality television careers. During their wrestling careers, they starred in the series Total Divas. The two women were so popular that they got their own spinoff, Total Bellas.
Then, in 2017, Nikki Garcia was cast as a contestant on season 25 of the hit ABC show Dancing with the Stars, where she was partnered with pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev. The two immediately hit it off, and their chemistry on and off the stage was undeniable.
The couple continued their relationship after the show ended, and in 2020, Chigvintsev and Garcia welcomed their son Matteo. They were married in 2022, and from the outside, everything looked picture-perfect.
But that all changed on August 29, when Artem Chigvintsev was arrested for felony domestic violence.
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Just before 10 a.m. on that summer day, Chigvintsev was booked into the Napa County Jail on charges of corporal injury to a spouse — a felony in the state of California. Corporal injury to a spouse differs from domestic battery — which is a misdemeanor — because corporal injury means that the person being charged meant to cause injury to their victim. Domestic battery does not require physical injury.
Chigvintsev was arraigned and released later that day on $25,000 bail. Neither he nor Ms. Garcia commented on the arrest, with Garcia’s rep telling the press that the former wrestler wanted privacy.
Less than two weeks after his arrest, Nikki Garcia filed for divorce from her husband of two years. Again, no details of the filing were released, and Garcia’s rep continued to ask for privacy for his client.
Now, Mr. Chigvintsev has responded to Ms. Garcia’s filing, citing that the couple split up over “irreconcilable differences.” However, that is not the surprising part of his response to her filing.
Mr. Chigvintsev is demanding that Ms. Garcia — his alleged victim — pay him spousal support and attorney’s fees. He is also claiming punitive spouse status, which essentially accuses his wife of fraud. Punitive spouse status means that Chigvintsev thought the marriage was legal, but it was not.
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According to an exclusive report from Us Weekly, Chigvintsev is claiming punitive spouse status from August 26, 2022, through January 19, 2023. However, documents show that the couple were married in France in August and then married in the United States in January.
Chigvintsev has also asked for joint legal and physical custody of the couple’s four-year-old son. Garcia, however, has filed for sole legal and physical custody of Matteo.
Shortly before he was arrested, Chigvintsev was the first person to call 9-1-1, saying that he needed medical attention because his wife threw shoes at him. However, he then called back, saying he did not need emergency responders. Police had already been dispatched to the scene, where they determined that Garcia was the victim, not the perpetrator.
Mr. Chigvintsev made his Dancing with the Stars debut on season 19, when he was paired with Back to the Future (1985) star, Lea Thompson. Before that, he was on the U.K. version of Dancing — on which the US version is based — called Strictly Come Dancing. The professional dancer appeared in a dozen seasons of Dancing with the Stars. He was not invited back for season 33, which airs on ABC and Disney+ on September 17.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.