wrestling / News
Nia Jax on Her Time Away From WWE Letting Her Reset, Becoming the Best Nia Jax
Image Credit: WWE
– Ahead of WWE Bad Blood, WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax sat down with Cathy Kelley to discuss her upcoming title defense against Bayley. Below are some highlights:
On her loss to Bayley at NXT TakeOver: London: “I’ll never forget the NXT TakeOver we had in London, everybody wanted to get on those TakeOvers because I feel like we were a part of the NXT brand that was just blazing a new path for women’s wrestling. And so getting in that match, having that opportunity to be able to win the NXT Women’s Championship was huge, but the energy in that arena was insane. And yeah, I wanted to be Bayley, I will say it, I’ve lost to her more than I’ve ever beaten her. There was competition to drive to be the top girl down at NXT, wanted. I was still down there with Bayley when Charlotte and Sasha and Becky got called up. The next one to step up, you’re sitting here, you wanted to be the next one. And Bayley and Asuka were up there in the title picture, and I was gunning for them, I wanted to get that title. Didn’t really get there, but look at me now.”
Nia Jax on her time away from WWE being good for her: “It was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. At first, yes, it was definitely difficult to sit there and realize I won’t be out there entertaining everybody on the road and enjoying the travels. But it actually helped restore my passion and love for wrestling cuz I felt like I was starting to lose a little bit of the why. And so, I tell people all the time, it was one of the best things that happened to me, I felt like I reset Nia Jax.”
On why she’s not the friendliest person in WWE: “Well, I don’t feel as though I need to be too friendly, this is a business, it’s a competition, and this is the prize. At the end of the day, I’m not here for your feelings. I’m here to work, I’m here to become the best, and that’s my goal. And so if you wanna make friends, maybe this isn’t the job for you. Maybe go find a job at your local grocery store where you can be buddies with everybody. But here, this is a competition, and you wanna be the best, you want the gold and that’s what I want, that’s what I have.”
Nia Jax defends her title this weekend against Bayley at WWE Bad Blood 2024. The premium live event is slated for Saturday, October 5 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. It will be broadcast live on Peacock.
