Tamina has discussed the emotional moment when she pinned Nia Jax to win her first major championship in WWE after wrestling for the company for 11 years.
On Night One of WrestleMania 37, Tamina and her new tag team partner Natalya outlasted four other teams to gain a WWE Women’s Tag Team Title match on Night 2. Ultimately in that opportunity, Tamina and Natalya came up short against champions Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax.
Since then the two teams have feuded with particular emphasis on the rivalry between Jax and Tamina. Both women come from illustrious wrestling families based in the Pacific islands with Jax being part of the wider legendary Anoa’i wrestling dynasty.
Speaking to Renee Paquette on her Oral Sessions podcast, an emotional Tamina shared what was said between her and Jax when Tamina pinned her to finally claim the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship on SmackDown.
Tamina explained:
“So as soon as it came down to it. I grabbed her leg and I turned my head, you can see it if you watch it back. Vince hates it because he doesn’t want you to do that. You got to be pinning and show your emotions. I turn my head and my hair came over, I just said ‘Thank you, sis.’ She just goes ‘I love you.’ I said ‘I love you’ back. Then it was 2 and 3. When you see my crying the way I was crying, I couldn’t believe it and I was so grateful to Nia and Shayna. It was such a struggle this whole time. If people have that passion to keep going, it can actually come true. And it came true, me and Nattie got the titles. I can’t thank people enough for all the love and the support.”
Tamina recently shared what happened after she and Natalya won the gold, as she shared an heartwarming moment with WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon.