Summary

Nia Jax said she apologized to Shayna Baszler for not giving her best during their run as a team, explaining that she was not at her healthiest during that period.

Jax said that during SummerSlam weekend in 2022 she realized she was at her heaviest, and used her time away from wrestling before her late-2023 WWE return to reassess her conditioning and in-ring work.

Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler reflection on in-ring standards

Nia Jax’s comments make clear that her return approach was built on accountability, because she directly addressed Baszler and acknowledged she did not perform to her own standard during their run.

She also tied that self-review to concrete in-ring gains, saying she now feels quicker and more effective, which helps explain why fans noticed improvement after her WWE return.

Quotes

Quote from Nia Jax

“It’s funny because you met me in Nashville and that’s when I wasn’t with the company. That weekend was when I found out that I was my heaviest, I was large but not healthy. That was when I had to sit and re-evaluate. I had to go back and watch my wrestling and watch what I used to do. It was funny cause I sat with Shayna, Shayna is one of my closest friends outside of work as well. I just remember looking at her when I watched myself back and saying, ‘I’m so sorry that I didn’t give you the best that I could have given you just because I wasn’t my healthiest.’ I saw that I moved slower, I wasn’t crisp enough, I wasn’t there. I think it helped me on my return because now I feel as though I have a little bit more of an edge because I am a little bit quicker, I’m a little bit lighter on my feet. I can definitely perform a little bit better than I used to. It was that time off that I didn’t realize I really needed to re-evaluate myself and thankfully have the opportunity to come back better.”