All About Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev's Son Matteo

Mar. 15, 2025

Nikki Bella, Artem Chigvintsev and their son Matteo.Photo:Nikki Bella/Instagram

Nikki Bella/Instagram

Nikki Garcia, formerly known asNikki Bella, is atotalmom to her son, Matteo Artemovich Chigvintsev.

TheTotal Divasstar’sdream of motherhoodcame true in 2020 when she welcomed Matteo withDancing with the StarsproArtem Chigvintsev.

“It’s something I’ve dreamed of my whole life,” she told PEOPLE at the time. “I can’t imagine life without being a mom and experiencing the miracle of life and raising a child. I’m just so family-oriented that I couldn’t imagine not having that family life.”

Having Matteo has made Nikki realize justhow “selfless” she can be. In 2023, theretired wrestlertold PEOPLE, “You’re just willing to give it all up for this one special human being.”

Chigvintsev and Bella wed two years after Matteo was born. However,the dancer’s arreston a charge of corporal injury to a spouse ultimately led Bella tofile for divorcein September 2024.

Here’s everything to know about Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev’s son, Matteo.

He was born in 2020

Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev’s son Matteo.Nikki Bella/Instagram

Nikkiwelcomed her first child, Matteo, on July 31, 2020.

“I labored for 22 hours, and I pushed for two hours while wearing a mask because of COVID-19,” she said. “It was 118 degrees in Phoenix, and our room wouldn’t get colder than 76 degrees, so I was burning hot the whole time.”

Nikki recalled looking at Artem and telling him to put onThe Lumineers. “And literally we ‘Hey Ho’-ed and ‘Ophelia’-ed Matteo into this world," she explained. “I have never pushed so hard in my life. I almost tore off the handlebars!”

He and his cousin were born a day apart

Matteo Artemovich and Buddy Dessert.Nikki Bella/Instagram

Nikki’s son was born the day before her twin sister,Brie Garcia, gave birth to her own son,Buddy Dessert, on Aug. 1, 2020.

When the siblings revealed to PEOPLE in 2020 that they were expecting at the same time, Nikki confessed that it was a “total surprise.”

Thesisters' sonsaren’t just cousins but also “BFF’s for Life," as Brie pennedon Instagramin 2021.

The following year, Brie toldEntertainment Tonightthat Matteo and Buddy were “already a perfect little tag team.” She also described the duo’s relationship as “really cute,” adding, “We always look at them and we are like, ‘They act like brothers.’ "

His name has a special meaning

Nikki Bella, Artem Chigvintsev and their son Matteo.Nikki Bella/Instagram

Nikki picked her son’s name after a conversation with her trainer, who named his son Matteo and shared with her about his strength. “When he said, ‘Oh, my Matteo,’ I got alligator chills from head to toe,” she told PEOPLE in 2020.

“So I came home and I go, ‘Artem,if we’re having a boy, his name’s Matteo,’ " Nikki added. “I got this feeling when my trainer was talking about him. It means God’s gift.”

She also explained Matteo’s middle name, Artemovich, saying in “the Russian culture and tradition, you always take the father’s first name as the middle name and you add ‘vich’ if it’s a boy.”

The proud mom noted that her son’s moniker is a “strong name.” Nikki explained, “I love it because you rarely hear it. I had such an attachment to it. I just feel like my Matteo is such a light in this world. It fits in perfect.”

He missed his parents’ wedding

Nikki and Artem, who gotengaged in France in November 2019, got marriedtwo years after becoming parents. Matteo was supposed to be the ring bearer at his parents’ wedding in Paris but ended up missing the ceremony because he was sick.

“We both don’t even remember the ring part because we both kept looking at each other like, ‘Are we terrible parents, like putting our rings on and we were just told our son is vomiting in the back?’ " Nikki toldE! News. “He went back to the hotel, and he actually ended up being okay. But I’m sad we don’t have that moment, but it’s okay. We got to see him before.”

He met his paternal grandparents in Turkey

Artem Chigvintsev and son Matteo.Nikki Bella/Instagram

Before his and Nikki’s 2022 wedding, Artem took Matteo to Turkey so hecould meet his grandparents, Vladimir and Anna, in person for the first time. The emotional moment was filmed forE!’sNikki Bella Says I Do.

“Beyond grateful Matteo finally got to meet his Babushka & Dedushka,” Nikki captioned a clip from the meeting on herInstagramin 2023. “I pray and hope one day we all get to be together! And more than just a week.”

She continued, “Family truly is everything! And so happy we got to documented this all of this, so Matteo has it as he gets older and that we get to watch it always!”

He loves to cook

Matteo is his dad’s “little helper” in the kitchen: In 2023,the dancer posted a videoof Matteo and him baking brownies.

The toddler showed off his mixing skills while his dad tried to manage the potentially messy situation.

“You have to listen to dada, you can’t just keep eating this,” Artem said as Matteo sampled the batter.

“We want him to be able to make that decision one day,” she said. “Even though he’s in moments, we didn’t let him film a lot. Even in a series, we’re very protective of it. I definitely think there’s other parts of Artem and I that we could [explore].”

source: people.com