WWE star Nia Jax has looked back on her tag team with Shayna Baszler, and why she believed she owed her former partner an apology.
Jax and Baszler teamed up during Jax’s first run with the company, which came to an end in late 2021. After the tag team broke up and Baszler brutally attacked Jax, the former Women’s Champion took time away from TV, but was also released during her hiatus.
Making her full-time return in September 2023, Jax has once again found success as she won the Queen of the Ring tournament and a second Women’s Championship, and is currently one half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions alongside Lash Legend. In addition to her accolades, many have felt that Jax has shown significant improvement in the ring following her time away.
Speaking with Beyond The Bell, Jax was asked about the hardest moment of her career. Jax responded that there was a point where she had to apologise to Baszler as she was not healthy enough to perform at her best:
“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 Baszler 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 just 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 realise I really needed to re-evaluate myself and thankfully have the opportunity to come back better.”
Nia Jax And Shayna Baszler Are Former Tag Team Champions
Jax and Baszler captured the Women’s Tag Team Championships twice while teaming together. Their first reign took place at Payback 2020 after the duo defeated Bayley and Sasha Banks, followed by a second reign at the 2021 Royal Rumble kickoff, which saw Jax and Baszler defeat Asuka and Charlotte Flair.
Baszler was released from WWE in 2025, but has done guest coaching at the Performance Center, and was seen on TV during the March 3 episode of NXT.
Featured image: WWE
