10 Incredible Wrestlers Fans WROTE-OFF Before They Were Famous
7. Nia Jax
This entry represents something a little different, because those screwing their faces up at one Nia Jax weren't always wrong to do so. Her first WWE main roster run between 2016-2021 became notorious for haphazard, dangerous spots that caused injuries to peers like Becky Lynch and Kairi Sane. Yes, it's a tough business and accidents happen, but some of Jax's matches looked reckless and uncoordinated.
Being honest, things had looked that way down in NXT too. That might be why Nia wasn't on the tips of fan tongues next to emerging female stars like Charlotte Flair, Lynch, Bayley or Sasha Banks as the kind of women they wanted to see on Raw or SmackDown. Vince McMahon didn't care. He could see something in Jax, and he liked the thought of booking her as a squash match artist in 2016.
The rap on Nia was thus: She was dangerous, prone to injuring others, and she didn't seem to give a toss about any of it. Unfair? Probably. The way it was? Undoubtedly. It'd take a lengthy layoff and surprisingly excellent return to change public opinion on Jax, but credit where it's due - she's been stellar since returning full time in late 2023. Nia has produced the best work of her wrestling career in-ring and on the mic heading through 2024 and into 2025.
Again, no tut tutting or finger pointing here. This fan also wrote Jax off, but even her harshest critics have to acknowledge that she's stepped it up lately to become a credit to WWE's female locker room. Good on her for doing that, and good on Triple H for giving Nia another chance to get it right.