Nia Jax found plenty of success during her time in WWE, becoming Raw Women’s Champion on one occasion and capturing the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships alongside Shayna Baszler twice.
To the surprise of many, the star (real name Lina Fanene) was released from her WWE contract in November of 2021. It was heavily rumored that she was released due to being unvaccinated against COVID-19, though she’s stated in the past that her vaccination status was never mentioned to her by WWE management.
Since her release, Jax has only wrestled on one occasion, entering the 2023 Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant at number 30 to massive boos from the San Antonio crowd. Her appearance didn’t last long, however, as eleven women teamed up to eliminate her in under two minutes.
Speaking on a recent episode of Busted Open Radio, Nia Jax admitted that while she had no plans to make a full-time return, she caught the wrestling bug once again when she appeared at the Rumble.
“So I had just agreed to do the Rumble, but the unsurety of myself right now, I wasn’t in the best shape and I wasn’t expecting to come back full-time because it takes a lot to come back full-time. We know it. It’s not just something like, ‘Oh, hey, I’m gonna hit the gym for a couple months and be in it.’ It’s a whole process, so I wasn’t expecting to come back full-time at the Rumble.
“I did catch the bug again when I got in the ring. I was like, ‘Oh, this feeling, this adrenaline that pumps through you.’ I was breathing super hard before I went out, and I had Kasama breathing me through it, and I had a bunch of the guys come by and give me a hug. So when my music hit, that feeling of like, ‘Oh shit, what the hell was I thinking? Let’s go.’ I did catch the bug after being in the Rumble.”
“I Would Love To Add To The Division” – Nia Jax On Potential WWE Return
Continuing, Jax explained that she’d love to make a return and help the women’s division grow, citing Mickie James as an inspiration for her.
“I was like maybe coming back would be a cool thing. If the people remember me, and the only thing I’d want to do is to come back and help anybody out I could. I would love to add to the division. It would be something that I would love to do.
“Mickie coming back and Mickie giving me psychology crap that I’ve never known, teaching me things that I never knew and getting in the ring with her, that was something that was so amazing to me in my career that I’m like, if I have any kind of knowledge that people would love to have, I would love to give and whatever I could do. So I don’t know. I don’t know.”
h/t Fightful