New RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax spoke with the In This Corner podcast ahead of Wrestlemania 34; you can read a few highlights (transcription credit to Bill Pritchard for Wrestlezone.com) and listen to the show below:
Nia Jax comments on finding herself as a character in WWE and not having anyone like her before:
When I grew up, I always watched the amazing women, and you’re right— I didn’t just have anyone to kind of be like ‘I want to be exactly like her’ —but I think right now within the company and with NXT, I was able to grow and figure out myself. I’m still, Nia Jax is still finding herself, but it’s cool because I love to show all kinds of boys, girls, men, women, you should always embrace who you are. Never allow a stigma, or the popular thing to define you. So I’m really excited that I get to create something different and new, and hopefully continue to evolve.
Nia comments on coming up with Alexa Bliss and other ‘homegrown’ WWE talent:
It’s crazy because I didn’t even think of it that way. I don’t know if you heard, but [Alexa Bliss] worked my tryout, so that’s where I first met her and we instantly connected, or I harassed her until she became my friend. [laughs] It’s really cool because when you walk into something so big— the [WWE] Performance Center is outstanding, you know if you haven’t been there, and I’m sure you’ve seen videos of it—it is so cool. It is an honor to walk through those doors, and when you take your first bump or do your first flip, you’re just thinking like ‘oh my gosh, how am I going to get to a full match or for ten minutes, let alone 30 minutes? You’re right because we are an exact product of NXT and WWE. That’s actually something that when I had tried out—I was originally going to go work with the Wild Samoans, with Afa—my cousin had said ‘you need to go actually try out for WWE because they have their own way.’ So when I did, thankfully they liked me, and the rest is kind of history now.
Nia comments on the response to her current storyline:
I appreciate the love and the reactions that they give me. When you’re initially a heel, it’s easier to be a heel. I’d rather people hate me than try to get them to love me. I’m the same way, if someone tries to force me or anything, I’m like ‘no, back up’. I love the fact that the fans have reacted so well to this story because it is such a relatable story. Everybody at one point in their time has experienced it on either end. I feel like this is why people are relating to it better and reacting to it and having such a —it’s funny because a lot of young kids are like ‘thank you so much for actually telling this story, because this is what I’m going through.’ They get to see me face my bully.
Nia comments on her ‘relationship’ with Byron Saxton that has been profiled on shows like WWE Ride Along:
Byron Saxton is creepy. He has a relationship between me and him going on in his head. I’m not included in this personally, like I am but I’m not. He has a weird fetish with my feet, he loves to call me different kinds of names like ‘Samoan Sweetcake’ and ‘Twinkle Toes’. It goes on from there.
I can’t respond to him, I barely open up his messages. He creeps me out.
