Former WWE superstar Stevie Richards recently raised concerns about Nia Jax’s in-ring actions on a recent episode of Monday Night RAW. Jax, known as “The Irresistible Force,” made her official return to WWE after a hiatus and immediately made headlines for a potentially dangerous move.
Nia Jax had initially joined WWE in 2014 and had a prominent career over the course of seven years, securing accolades such as the RAW Women’s Title and the Women’s Tag Team Championship. However, she was released from the company in November 2021.
In a surprising turn of events, Nia Jax reappeared on RAW, attacking both Raquel Rodriguez and Rhea Ripley during their Women’s World Championship match. It was during this incident that Stevie Richards took notice and expressed his concerns.
Analyzing the footage in a video on his YouTube channel, Richards specifically pointed to a moment when Nia Jax executed a Banzai Drop from the second rope onto Rhea Ripley. He remarked,
“This is an excellent shot of Nia on the second rope, about to come off the second rope onto Rhea. I was hoping maybe a Vader Splash or something like that, still snug, still tight, still knocks the wind out of you, but essentially safe. That’s not what happened.”
Witness the career-defining moments of Nia Jax!#WWETop10 pic.twitter.com/vbm8UIS3tZ
Advertisement— WWE (@WWE) September 14, 2023
Richards went on to highlight the critical issue:
“Now, as she’s jumping off, her hands right here should stay on the rope to protect Rhea Ripley, to not crush her ribs. So, she comes down, and watch this. She could hold on, but she let go. Even if it’s just the last second, all her weight is coming down on Rhea Ripley right now and crushing her. Legitimately just squashing her right there. It’s just unnecessary.”
Furthermore, Stevie Richards underscored the potential risk involved, given Rhea Ripley’s status as a top draw in women’s wrestling: “You’ve got a girl that’s the champion, that’s your top draw as a women’s wrestler, and you’re putting her in a position like this to get injured.”
Richards didn’t stop there; he raised another issue with Nia Jax’s move
Its potential impact on female WWE superstars who have implants. He said:
“Now, I’m gonna talk about the uncomfortable part of this. For me at least, it’s awkward. I’m a male talking about women’s wrestling. Look at where she’s sitting on her. Look at how she squashed her. Some of the girls in WWE have implants. She could pop one of those implants and really cause a very dangerous medical situation. If not, at least the girl is gonna be out for many weeks or months.”
NIA JAX IS BACK!!!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/2bfavt9Y3i
— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2023
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Nia Jax’s return to WWE has certainly garnered attention, but with concerns like these, it remains to be seen how WWE will address safety issues moving forward.
