Nia Jax Called "Clumsy And Reckless" On WWE SmackDown
WWE's writers decided to reference classic fan opinion on Nia Jax. Will it work?
Reigning WWE Women's Champion Bayley referenced her miserable 2017 injury on Friday's episode of SmackDown, and then called SummerSlam opponent Nia Jax "clumsy and reckless".
The pair conducted a brief sit-down interview on camera. During it, Bayley successfully got underneath Nia's skin by referencing classic fan opinion that Jax fails to consider the well-being of her peers during matches. The question is: Was that the right way to go with their story?
After all, Nia is a heel. Why would she care about injuring opponents? If anything, Jax would laugh at their misfortune instead of feeling bad about it. On SmackDown though, the current Queen Of The Ring got flustered by Bayley's remarks before eventually storming off-set.
Fans on social media already seem split on the segment. It blurred the lines between fantasy and reality by suggesting that WWE's roster views Jax as somebody who's careless in-ring. That could be problematic, because it also implies that heels are...supposed to look out for babyfaces during matches rather than destroy them.
Bayley and Jax collide at SummerSlam 2024 on 3 August in Cleveland. It'll be worth keeping an eye on the next few weeks of TV to see if this 'behind the curtain' approach is something Triple H doubles down on.