Former WWE Women's Champion Returns To Company On Raw
Superstar finds her way back two years after release, makes impact felt in main event.
Nia Jax made an impactful return to WWE on Raw Monday night, interfering in the Women's World Championship main event and laying out two of the biggest, strongest superstars in the division.
The former women's champion attacked Raquel Rodriguez outside the ring, dropping the challenger and allowing champion Rhea Ripley to retain her title. Afterward, Jax entered the ring and laid Ripley out with a headbutt, leg drop and Banzai drop.
It was just her second WWE appearance since Jax, 39, was released from the company in November 2021. In January, Nia entered the Royal Rumble at #30 and was eliminated by the entire field.
NIA JAX IS BACK!!!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/2bfavt9Y3i
— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2023
Fightful Select reports that Jax was signed more than a month ago and had heard rumors prior that she was headed back to WWE, and that the hiring freeze essentially ended this summer. Jax's rehiring would pretty much signal that this is the case.
Jax is the first main roster signing since Vince McMahon bigfooted his way back into WWE several months ago.
Signed to WWE in 2014, Jax joined the main roster in 2016 and won the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania 34 in 2018. She would go on to form a tag team with Shayna Baszler, with the duo holding the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship for the bulk of the Pandemic Era.
During much of her initial run with the company, Jax often was the largest athlete on the women's roster, standing out in a way that sometimes made it difficult to book around her.
Currently, however, Rodriguez, Ripley, Piper Niven, Becky Lynch, Baszler and Zoey Stark all could either match her strength and size or credibly give her a serious run. This could mean there's more of an opportunity for competitive matches, while still allowing Nia to act as the heel giant on the roster.