Nia Jax Vs. Charlotte Flair Turns Into Real Shoot Fight On WWE Raw?

Things got weird and uncooperative when Jax and Flair threw down on Raw.

Charlotte Flair Nia Jax
WWE.com

Last night's WWE Raw saw Nia Jax and Charlotte Flair contest one of the most awkward wrestling matches you'll see all year.

Jax pinned the Raw Women's Champion in their non-title bout, putting Flair away via chokebomb. This isn't the real story, though. The most newsworthy part of this bout is the way it broke down after the opening commercial break.

Things devolved into clunkiness after Jax hit a rough-looking spinebuster and later followed up with a back drop that saw Flair land at least partially on her head. Flair kicked out of a pin following the spinebuster, not even allowing Jax a one-count, with Nia seemingly letting go of her before completing the backdrop as well, which is when things really started falling apart.

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Jax and Flair traded stiff slaps and other strikes, shoved each other back and forth, and talked smack. There was little semblance of cooperation while this was going on, and even less when Charlotte stuffed what appeared to be an attempted double-leg takedown from Jax.

From there, the sandbagging continued. Charlotte jumped awkwardly onto her opponent's shoulders, struggled for a few minutes, then landed back on the mat. Flair then laboured to trap the mat before slamming Jax down backwards, scoring a two count.

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The finish fortunately came soon after this, though the match was immediately most memorable for its uncooperative moments, clearing breaking down early on and never truly recovered. Whether or not it turned into a full-on shoot is up for debate - though it certainly appeared to.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.