What happened to Nia Jax from WWE? Nia Jax’s Journey to WWE

 

Who is Nia Jax?

American professional wrestler Savelina Fanene, better known by her ring name Nia Jax, was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on 29 May 1984, making Gemini her zodiac sign. She’s perhaps known best for the time she spent wrestling in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), during which she and Shayna Baszler won the Women’s Tag Team Championship twice, while Nia was also a one-time Raw Women’s Champion.

Education and early life

Nia was raised alongside her brothers Patrick and Benjamin in Honolulu, Hawaii, by their parents Renate and Joseph Fanene, as the family moved there from Sydney not long after Nia was born. She’s the cousin of famous American actor and former professional wrestler Dwayne Douglas ‘The Rock’ Johnson, as her father is related to Dwayne’s grandfather Peter Maivia, the late Samoan-American actor and professional wrestler.

The family eventually moved to San Diego, California, where Nia studied at Carlsbad High School; she was interested in several activities during her time there, including playing soccer and tennis, dancing, and appearing in school plays.

Nia matriculated in 2002 and then enrolled at Palomar College, where she was a member of its basketball team; she eventually transferred to California State University, San Marcos, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2005.

Nia spent the following nine years working as a plus-size model, prior to becoming a professional wrestler.

Nia’s career

Nia signed a contract with WWE in January 2014, and was to wrestle in their promotion NXT; she trained at the WWE Performance Center and made her debut in a tag team match on 7 May 2015, when she and Devin Taylor lost to Carmella and Bayley. She initially wrestled under the ring name Zada, changing it to Nia Jax in August 2015.

Nia had her first singles match on 14 October 2015, when she defeated Evie; she then went on a winning strike, defeating even NXT Diva Carmella, and her fans saw her turn villainous. She and Eva Marie formed an alliance in November, while Nia then began feuding with Bayley; the two women faced each other at NXT Women’s Championship, with Bayley defeating Nia. She lost to Bayley again on 20 July 2016, and to Asuka at the NXT Women’s Championship on 28 December 2016.

Happy brother to the #GoodBrother @KarlAndersonWWE 👠👠👠👠 #Squad pic.twitter.com/W4iUbB5HrA

— Lina Fanene (@LinaFanene) January 18, 2017

It was in July 2016 that Nia began wrestling in WWE’s promotion Raw, and lost to Alicia Fox on 25 September. She began feuding with her mentor Sasha Banks in December, and Nia defeated her on 29 January 2017, while Sasha defeated Nia on 5 March 2017.

She and WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore were placed in an on-screen relationship on 4 December 2017, but soon ended when Enzo’s contract with WWE expired in January 2018. In January and February, Nia feuded with then-undefeated Asuka, and lost to her on 25 February at Elimination Chamber, as well as again on Raw a week later.

Nia became the Raw Women’s Champion on 8 April 2018, after defeating Alexa Bliss who had previously been her best friend; the two began feuding after Alexa body shamed Nia. She defeated Alexa again on 6 May to retain her title, but lost it to her on 17 June.

Nia suffered a minor injury in August, and didn’t wrestle again until 17 September, when she and Ember Moon teamed up to defeat Mickie James and Alicia Fox. Nia lost to Rousey for the Raw Women’s Champion title on 16 December.

She became the first woman to compete in two Royal Rumbles on the same night on 27 January 2019. Nia suffered a serious injury in April, and had to undergo surgery to repair tears in both her knees’ anterior cruciate ligaments; it took her a year to recover.

She made her return on 6 April 2020, when she defeated Deonna Purrazzo, while she then won against Charlotte Flair on 25 May; Nia then challenged Asuka for the Raw Women’s Champion title, but lost. She and Shayna Baszler became the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions in August, after defeating Sasha Banks and Bayley, but they then lost the title to Charlotte Flair and Asuka; they became WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions again on 31 January 2021, by defeating Charlotte and Asuka, but lost the title to Tamina and Natalya on 14 May.

In October 2021, Nia asked WWE for some time off to take care of her mental health, but was instead released from her contract a month later; she signed a new contract with WWE in January 2023.

Love life and marriage

Nia prefers to keep the details of her love life away from the media’s attention, and hasn’t confirmed any of the rumors which are today circulating the internet, and which concern her past and present relationships.

It’s believed that she’s today in a relationship with American TV host and ring announcer Austin Michael ‘Mike’ Rome, as some of their fans claimed to have seen them spending time together on multiple occasions, but no evidence has been provided to support these claims.

It’s also believed that Nia had previously dated American professional wrestlers Josh Woods and Luke Gallows, as well as Eva Marie, but none of this has been confirmed.

Nia seems to be unattached as of April 2023, hasn’t married and doesn’t have children.

Interesting facts and hobbies

Nia and her cousin Ata Maivia-Johnson were hit by a drunk driver on 2 August 2014, but luckily suffered no serious injuries.

She was nicknamed “The Irresistible Force” by WWE fans.

Nia’s signature move is her Samoan drop finisher ‘Annihilator’.

She’s often criticized for being an ‘unsafe worker’, as she accidently punched Becky Lynch in the face in November 2018, breaking her nose, while Kairi Sane suffered a cut on her head while wrestling Nia in May 2020.

She’s followed by close to two million people on Instagram, and has uploaded over 1,300 pictures onto the network; most of Nia’s content features her during her everyday life, while she nowadays enjoys showing her fans how much weight she’s lost.

Nia’s favorite singer is Beyonce.

Her favorite actress is Angela Bassett, while some of her favorite movies include “Otherhood”, “Akeelah and the Bee” and “Betty and Coretta”.

Height, eyes and wealth

Nia’s age is 38. She has brown eyes and hair, is 6ft (1.83m) tall and weighs around 200lbs (90kgs), which is a drop from 270lbs (123kgs) in three years.

Nia’s net worth’s been estimated at over $400,000, as of April 2023.