Nia Jax Is Finally The Wrestler WWE Wanted Her To Be

• 

  Nia Jax

  Birthname:

  Savelina Fanene

  Birthdate:

  1984-05-29

  Birthplace:

  Sydney, Australia

  Family:

  The Rock

  Current Promotion:

  WWE

  Height:

  6’0″

  Debut:

  2015-05-07

  Championships Held:

  Raw Women’s Championship, WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship

  Finisher:

  Samoan Drop

  Twitter:

  https://x.com/LinaFanene?s=20

  Instagram:

  https://www.instagram.com/linafanene/?hl=en

  Eye Color:

  Brown

  Hair Color:

  Brown

  Notable Allies:

  Alexa Bliss

  Notable Rivals:

  Alexa Bliss, becky lynch, Charlotte Flair

  Weight:

  Billed At 272 lbs In The Past

Highlights

• Nia Jax has overcome past criticisms to become a standout heel in WWE’s women’s division.
• Returning in 2023, Jax has improved in the ring and on the mic, impressively feuding with top stars.
• Drafted to SmackDown, Jax is poised to elevate other women and possibly become a singles champion.

When Nia Jax returned to WWE in September 2023, many fans were critical of her comeback. Even though, by all accounts, she’s a great person and tried her best, rightly or wrongly, most remembered her for being the woman who broke Becky Lynch’s nose and gave her a concussion, along with hurting other wrestlers as well. When she was released in 2021, it might be harsh to say, but she wasn’t missed. Jax had the look and was a one-time Raw Women’s Champion, but her matches weren’t always so great and the reputation she was saddled with created a ceiling to her rise. To have her return at nearly 40 years old felt like a mistake by Triple H, but Nia Jax has proven everyone wrong. This time, she is the superstar she was always meant to be.

Nia Jax Joined WWE In 2014

Nia Jax’s First WWE Run Didn’t Live Up To Expectations

• Nia Jax is from the Anoa’i family.
• Nia Jax spent two years in NXT.
• Nia Jax struggled with mental health issues at the end of her WWE run.

Nia Jax (real name Savelina Fanene) is part of the famed Anoa’i family, but she has never had Roman Reigns, The Rock, or that legacy to help her. Instead, she got over on her own, joining WWE in 2014 and becoming part of the NXT brand. She spent two years there, never winning gold, but being an impressive force with a lot of potential thanks to her work with the likes of Carmella, Bayley, Asuka, and Alexa Bliss. When she was drafted to the main roster in 2016, it seemed like Jax was destined for superstardom. In a world of super-thin blondes, Jax stood out as six-foot tall, two-hundred plus found force. Forget the women, Nia Jax looked like someone who could battle the men.

Nia Jax spent five years between Raw and SmackDown, and even won the Raw Women’s Championship once, but she was never quite the main event level talent she could have been. Part of that had to do with who her competitors were. When the Four Horsewomen of Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bayley, and Sasha Banks are in WWE, it’s hard for other women to be at their level. Nia was an okay worker, but not quite good enough to be elite. She could talk on the mic just fine, but she didn’t hold your attention the way others did. Then came the controversies. She might have often played a heel, but fans turned on the person behind the character when she accidentally gave Becky Lynch a concussion and a broken nose just before Survivor Series 2018. Jax accidentally injured others as well, and even though her WWE career continued until 2021, it’s something she could never escape. After asking for a mental health break, Jax was released, with there being speculation that she lost her job for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccination.

Last year, in an interview with After the Bell, Nia Jax spoke about how hurtful negative fan comments were. She said:

“In the beginning, I was like ‘Oh, this will be good. This would be good for, you know the character will keep going on’, Jax said. “But at the end of the day, when you’re by yourself and you’re on your phone and you’re looking at the constant hate, hate, hate, you’re second guessing yourself. I’m second guessing everything I’ve done.” (h/t
WrestlingNews.co
)

Nia Jax Has Been A Success Since Returning To WWE

Feuds With Becky Lynch And Rhea Ripley Have Helped Nia Jax

• Nia Jax was part of the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble.
• A talk with Triple H brought Nia Jax back to WWE.
• Nia Jax has become a great heel.

Nia Jax made a surprise return to WWE as the last entrant of the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble. When she didn’t show up again after that, many fans were relieved. Time had passed her by and WWE had moved on with new stars like Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair. That could have been the end of it, but she wanted to wrestle again, even if she doubted herself. In the same After the Bell interview, Jax said:

“I’m like, really? I would love to, but I’m not sure, and so she’s like, ‘Just text Hunter. Just text him.’ I’m like, really? So I texted Hunter, and I was just like, hey, I was wondering if possibly you had a spot for me to come back. And then I want to say that two minutes later, he was like, Yeah, let’s talk. Let’s get on the phone and chat soon.’ So it kind of snowballed from there.” (h/t
Sportskeeda
)

It took a lot of guts from Nia Jax to come back to WWE when so many fans treated her so badly. Still, she persevered, and even if there was a collective groan about her return, she stuck it to everyone who doubted her. She’s now more mobile in the ring, in better shape, and her in ring work has improved vastly. She’s also gotten much better on the microphone, able to hold her own as the cocky heel against anyone who stands in her way. Although she hasn’t won any gold yet, Jax has had long feuds with both Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley, ones where she actually beat Lynch and where she came off as a credible challenger who could beat Ripley. These weren’t just throw away feuds for those women, but big time programs. Fans still booed Nia Jax, not because we disliked her, but because she was doing such a phenomenal job as a heel.

Nia Jax Is Now One Of WWE’s Best Wrestlers In The Women’s Division

Nia Jax Was Drafted To SmackDown

• Nia Jax attacked Bayley on SmackDown
• There are more women for Nia Jax to work with on the blue brand.
• It’s time for Nia Jax to be a singles champion.

During the 2024 WWE Draft, Nia Jax was drafted to SmackDown. It was a good move, as she needs the change or scenery. She immediately attacked the new WWE Womens’ Champion, Bayley, setting up what should be another great feud. It’s one that Nia Jax will most likely lose again, but on the blue brand, Jax is now going to be able to work with the likes of Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill just to name a few.

Jax is being used to build others up and make them look better, which is not something that could have once been said about her. Due to her own dedication, she is better in the ring, and due to Triple H’s creative leadership, she is a more intriguing character. It’s time to have Nia Jax win a feud or two and put that WWE Women’s Championship around her waist.