Nia Jax breaks character to laud 42-year-old Superstar for competing at Backlash despite an injury 

The Sydney-born wrestler is all but reverent for Asuka.

Nia Jax breaks character to laud 42-year-old Superstar for competing at Backlash despite an injury 

Nia Jax praises former Women's Champion [via- Wrestling Inc]

Ravenous for an exhilarating show, the packed house at the LDLC Arena at WWE Backlash made it seem as if everything that went down last Saturday was immaculate. However, it wasn’t. Nia Jax appears to have confirmed a major injury that most of the fans couldn’t catch at first glance. She reacted to a fan-made post about Asuka competing through an injury at the PLE in France.

The Irresistible Force corroborated that Asuka indeed wasn’t at her physical best en route to her title defense. Nia Jax extolled The Empress of Tomorrow for being one of the toughest humans she’s ever met. The recently drafted SmackDown Superstar doused the Japanese wrestler with appreciation for battling through her travails by simply donning a smile on her face.

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Some newly-surfaced clips on social media evince how Asuka was limping while making her entrance alongside Kairi Sane at Backlash. Despite a nagging injury, Kana-Chan went the distance in a match that lasted over 17 minutes. The Kabuki Warriors met their Waterloo against a formidable duo of Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair.

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True story. One of the toughest humans I have ever met. Love @WWEAsuka for doing everything and working through all her pain with a smile on her face and never ever complaining.
Nia Jax on X

Concerns for Asuka’s well-being were exacerbated last night on Raw. She was pulled from the Queen of the Ring tournament. Had she not, she would’ve gone on to face former NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria. However, it was not to be for the Osaka-born wrestler.

Instead, she was replaced by her own Damage CTRL stablemate, Dakota Kai. It didn’t bode well for Kai either, as she went down against the Raw newbie. A few weeks ago, The Empress of Tomorrow had an injury scare, but she was able to thwart a prolonged hiatus. However, not this time.

Nia Jax faces a dicey first-round obstacle in the Queen of the Ring tourney

Who knows, if Asuka hadn’t been injured, she would’ve gotten a chance to face Nia Jax in the finals of the Queen of the Ring tournament. With that not being a possibility anymore, Nia starts from scratch this Friday.

Nia Jax
Nia Jax [via- WWE]

She’s set to lock horns with Piper Niven in the first-round matchup. One would feel it’s some kind of mirror match. The two haven’t been at daggers drawn one-on-one previously. It would be interesting to see who prevails in this battle of attrition. Jax immediately made waves upon switching brands two weeks ago.

She laid waste to the reigning Women’s Champion Bayley. If it wasn’t obvious, they seem pegged to renew their on-screen beef. However, it would be the icing on the cake if the 39-year-old prospect manages to become the 2024 Queen of the Ring.

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