12 WWE Failures Who Became World Champion
5. Nia Jax
The name Nia Jax was enough to send shivers up the spines of wrestling fans pre-2023. To that point, seeing yourself scribbled opposite Nia on the booking sheets must've given a few WWE stars some sleepless nights, because Jax was known for hurting her peers with clumsy ring work and brutal-looking moves at one stage. Generally, she was often pointed to when someone asked: 'Who's one of the worst workers around?'.
Nothing Jax touched appealed to WWE fans for years. She did win the old Raw Women's Title from Alexa Bliss at WrestleMania 34, but then creative bizarrely squashed her body positive message to turn her heel all over again. It was poorly handled, much like Nia's opponents when she'd lift them up for a Samoan Drop or some other such move.
Groans were audible when Jax returned to the promotion full time in September 2023, but something had changed. Seemingly overnight, Nia had gone from reckless oaf with too much airtime to somebody who was actually contributing to the product. She shone opposite Rhea Ripley, helped make the debuting Jade Cargill look awesome, and seemed to have improved every aspect of her work.
Back to back Queen Of The Ring and WWE Women's Title wins (at SummerSlam) in 2024 told the full story. Nia was a different animal during this second run. Her matches started clicking, her work on the mic was confident and had purpose, and she was even elevating fresh names whilst enjoying some time in the spotlight herself. It was all win-win.
Good on Jax for changing the narrative surrounding her.