Teddy Long thinks released Samoan superstar got backstage heat in WWE for "being herself" (Exclusive)

WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long was full of praise for a certain member of the Samoan wrestling dynasty. The superstar in question is Nia Jax.

Jax was supposedly released by WWE after requesting time off to take care of her mental health. Jax, who is of Samoan origin and a relative of Roman Reigns and The Rock, was with WWE for seven years before being let go in 2021. The star made an appearance at the 2023 Royal Rumble.

On the latest episode of The Wrestling Time Machine, host Mac Davis asked former SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long about ex-WWE star Nia Jax, and he was full of praise for her.

He told Mac Davis that he believes Nia Jax got heat for "being herself" and said that it's not always believable when smaller superstars defeat her. He blamed this on the more entertainment-focused approach that pro wrestling has taken in the modern era.

"She might have got heat for being herself. That's all it is. Sometimes they got a smaller opponent that they want to get over and they feel like if Nia takes this big bump, then that'll get this little small person over. That's how they think sometimes, but it doesn't work like that, sometimes fans think that ain't believable and they ain't buying that. You know what I mean? Sometimes the writers don't think about it. Our business has now basically turned into entertainment so they think this isn't real. But to people like Nia, it's real to them. They were trained and brought up the right way - to protect yourself. Don't get out there and let anybody bury you. Nothing wrong with doing business but there's always a way to do business," Long said. [13:56 - 14:48]

You can watch the full video below:

Teddy Long loves the fact that Nia Jax takes "no s**t" from anybody

Laughing about the fact that he would flirt with Nia Jax all the time, Teddy Long called her a sweetheart and said that one of her best qualities is the fact that she doesn't take s**t from anybody.

"She's beautiful. She's a sweetheart. She'd always come up and mess with me. Nia is a sweetheart, but the one thing I like about her is she doesn't take no s**t. And she knows how to protect herself and I love her for that." [13:06 - 13:32]

Nia Jax certainly took a no-nonsense approach during her WWE run, and it remains to be seen whether a return is on the cards after she recently revealed that she has resumed training.

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