**UPDATE*** News on Jax’s probable return to WWE
The same Twitter account that first spread the rumor that Neville had walked out of Raw spread another one: Nia Jax “possibly” walked out, too.
Believe it or not, I’m hearing yet another superstar was upset backstage at RAW and possibly walked out. Not kidding. Looking into it now.
— Pro Wrestling Votes (@WrestleVotes) October 12, 2017
Following up on this: superstar in question was Nia Jax. Interesting she didn’t appear last night either. Hmmm. https://t.co/EeEtNe55LW
— Pro Wrestling Votes (@WrestleVotes) October 17, 2017
Pro Wrestling Sheet followed up on the scoop, and while it’s unclear whether Jax left on bad terms, it appears she was granted a leave of absence by WWE:
Our sources were unable to confirm if she left the show angrily … however, we’re told Jax HAS been granted a leave of absence for personal reasons by management. It’s unclear how long she’ll be gone or what spawned her decision.
PWInsider further reported that Jax was not at last week’s taping of Raw. One source believed that it was originally planned for Sasha Banks to face Jax at this Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view, not Alicia Fox.
Another source confirmed that Jax had been slated to film content for the new season of Total Divas in New York City this Thursday and Friday, but she is no longer scheduled to do so.
If Jax did walk out, it seems like odd timing. Sure, she may be operating as Alexa Bliss’s sidekick at the moment, but Bliss is the Raw Women’s Champion. It seems more likely than not that their alliance will eventually fall apart (again) and Jax will receive another push and title shot. She’s definitely in a position where her patience could pay off big time.
That being said, Jax has expressed unhappiness with the booking of the Raw women’s division before. In May she tweeted: “Wow! First ever Money in the Bank Women’s Ladder Match! Amazing how #SmackdownLive uses their ENTIRE women roster every Tuesday!” The tweet has since been deleted.
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Alexa Bliss Weighs-In
Alexa Bliss, on-screen and real-life best friend of Nia Jax opened up in an interview about Nia’s absence. Via the New York Post:
“We have talked about it a lot,” Bliss told The Post. “Whatever she is going through, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a leave of absence. She’s taking some time off because our schedule it very grueling. It’s very, very demanding. There are times where you are run down and your body can’t do it anymore and you get sick or you get injured from it and you get tired.
It seems the time-off is only for a short time, as Jax will be back for WWE’s European tour, according to the Wrestling Observer. Meltzer also notes that the talk of her being frustrated is unfounded:
Jax is just resting up since she wasn’t figured into any major storylines, but according to those close to her, stories that she stormed off at Raw (she wasn’t even at Raw to begin with), asked for a leave of absence, or is unhappy with her pay are all untrue.
Didn’t Want To Lose?
Now though, Sports Illustrated is reporting that Nia was frustrated with the direction of her character and walked out after receiving some advice from her cousin, The Rock.
The reason behind Nia Jax’s much-discussed “leave of absence” has been uncovered, as Sports Illustrated learned that Jax balked at the idea of losing clean to Sasha Banks at TLC. She called her cousin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, to ask for his advice, and Johnson encouraged her to walk away if she was unhappy.
I have a lot of concerns about this story. It has been reported and confirmed by plenty of sources that Jax just wanted some time off and then we get this about her calling the Rock and then leaving over not wanting to lose? Also, it has been confirmed that Jax is returning soon. Maybe she just wanted time off. This is part of the problem with stories like this in wrestling. There are no clear lines of communications so everything gets jumbled.
Returning to WWE?
PWInsider is reporting that Jax will be back for the October 30th Raw, an appearance she was injured?
Jax had been off the last several weeks in part due to a nagging back issue.
Of everything we’ve heard about Jax, we hadn’t heard that she had a back issue. More confusion on this story. These are the things we know for sure: Nia Jax took a few weeks off, WWE isn’t treating it like a big deal, she is still signed with the company.
What do you think is going with Nia Jax? Do you think a lot of wrestlers are unhappy with WWE? Share your thoughts and comments below!