8 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Monday Night Raw (September 25 - Results & Review)
2. Nia Jax Squashes The Competition
WWE.com
Ahead of an ill-judged impromptu match with Zoey Stark, Nia Jax was tasked with her first recap-the-events promo since returning to WWE a fortnight ago. It was also evidently imperative that she got across the new catchphrase, and this was yet another case of the company copying its own homework.
Jax working through all the women she'd "squashed" was yet more Diet Roman stuff, and it's a shame her words have never been as convincing as her actions. This was Top Star stuff on paper - Jax positioned herself as the toughest wrestler in the locker room, as legitimate a threat that has ever existed to Rhea Ripley, and simply unstoppable in anybody's path - but the script wasn't leaping off the page with the microphone in her hand.
The threats prodding Stark into action wouldn't have been a problem if Jax didn't blow through her with such ease. She was hot property coming out of Trish Stratus' rivalry with Becky Lynch, but this one defeat reduced to her to knockabout stepping stone in (literally) a matter of minutes. The job was a worthy one, but there must have been somebody else around to do it.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
