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Nia Jax Addresses Premature 2023 Royal Rumble Entry

By John Canton • Published 11th March 2023
nia jax womens royal rumble

Nia Jax has commented on her WWE Royal Rumble 2023 experience and how her music played before the countdown started.

The Royal Rumble match is one of the most popular WWE matches of the year. Part of the reason the fans love it so much is because of the surprise entrants. Those surprises can be anyone ranging from a wrestler coming back from an injury that’s unannounced (John Cena in 2008) to a debuting superstar (remember AJ Styles in 2016?) or a former WWE superstar making a comeback like Nia Jax at #30 in this year’s Royal Rumble.

Nia Jax worked for WWE from 2014 to 2021. She made her main roster debut in 2016, became the Raw Women’s Champion once and a two-time Women’s Tag Team Champion with Shayna Baszler as well. Jax was released by WWE in November 2021.

During a virtual signing hosted by East Coast Autograph Auctions, Jax talked about how she was happy that people remembered her.

“I’m glad it was a surprise for everybody (2023 Royal Rumble appearance). I was actually really happy that people remembered me. I was nervous right before I walked out like, what if nobody remembers me? And I walked out in the Rumble and it’s dead air.”

As she continued, Nia Jax was asked about her music playing at #30 without the clock counting down to zero.

“No comment (she said when asked why her music played before the timer hit zero). I can’t say. I know, but I can’t say. But let’s just say somebody was super excited for me to be back and prematurely hit my music. But they were really happy I was back. Let’s say that. But that’s all I’m gonna say (she smiled). They (some fans) were hoping it was more of a permanent thing… I almost cried myself. I was nervous, a nervous wreck.”

There are some people that believe that WWE intentionally “botched” her entrance because Jax had a bit of a rep in WWE for botching some moves and hurting people, so perhaps it was a joke on WWE’s part. Whether that’s true or not is unknown and Jax clearly didn’t want to say what the actual reason was.

Nia Jax also revealed that the Connecticut government nearly shut down WWE taping the two Money in the Bank matches at corporate headquarters in 2020.

H/T PostWrestling