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One of the names heavily teased for tonight's WWE Royal Rumble 2023 event was The Rock, but the one who made a surprise return was his family member Nia Jax.
The recently returned WWE Superstar began her journey at the promotion in 2014, making her way to the main roster in 2016. She captured the RAW Women's Championship and the Women's Tag Team Titles before her release in 2021. However, her relationship with wrestling ran long before her time in WWE.
Nia Jax is the daughter of Joseph Fanene, the first cousin of Dwayne Johnson's grandfather Peter Maivia. This makes Nia Jax and The Rock cousins, while Roman Reigns, Jimmy, and Jey Uso are her extended family.
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Jax returned during the Women's WWE Royal Rumble 2023 match. She was entry number 30 and was eliminated by several superstars. The eventual winner of the match was Judgment Day member Rhea Ripley.
The Rock played a huge role in Nia Jax's wrestling career
The Anoa'i family is one of the most prestigious and well-known wrestling families out there. They have produced multiple legends of the sport, just as Rikishi, Umaga, and The Rock. Which is why it's no surprise that Nia was inspired by a family member.
In a past appearance on the Talk is Jericho podcast, Nia Jax stated that she was inspired to become a wrestler after watching The Rock vs. John Cena at WrestleMania 28. The returning superstar also shared how her cousin was the one who recommended trying out for WWE.
"Dwayne [Johnson] had heard about the Performance Center, and he said that I should try out to see if maybe that is something that I would want to do; to get in there and see how it is. I had a three-day tryout at the Performance Center [...] I didn't hear anything from anybody, but Hunter [Triple H] had contacted Dwayne and said that we were going to give her a shot in Orlando, so that was when I was signed."
Now that the 38-year-old has returned to WWE, it will be interesting to see how she will perform now with the current division and which brand she will join. For now, it remains to be seen which superstar will first clash with the returning star.
What do you think about Nia Jax's return to action? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
