WeeklySA_AdminWWE WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP: The bout continued the long-running rivalry between The Irrisistible Force and the Annihilator Tiffany Stratton
By Sports Reporter
Nia Jax was looking to end the WWE Womens Championship reign of Tiffany Stratton on this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown, which took place in Greensboro,
North Carolina. However, not only did Jax fail to win the title, but she also ended up suffering a gruesome facial injury as a result of a botched chair spot towards the end of the match.
The bout continued the long-running rivalry between Stratton and Jax, dating back to Tiffy’s Money in the Bank cash-in on the 3rd of January, where she dethroned Jax to begin her reign as champion.
For a brief period, it looked like Nia was going to get her gold back on Friday’s show.
Nia became the first woman on the main roster to kick out of Stratton’s Prettiest Moonsault Ever and was in prime position to claim the victory when former champion Naomi stormed down the ramp, apparently targeting Stratton, only to be intercepted by Jade Cargill.
As the two rivals battled out of camera shot, Jax came within inches of a win when she fell on Stratton in the corner but could only get a near fall as Stratton managed grabbed the bottom rope to save the match.
Nia Jax’s WWE stats (as of 17/05/2025)
Total number of matches 585
Total number of wins 220 (37.6%)
Total number of losses 358 (61.2%)
Total number of draws 7 (1.2%)
Jax was in disbelief when Stratton escaped the pin, so much so that she tried to leave with the title, despite not winning it.
When she returned to the ring and the official was distracted, she tried to introduce a chair into the match. This proved to be a big mistake in more ways than one as Stratton dropkicked the chair, causing it to hit Jax in the face full force.
The camera barely caught one of the match’s most shocking moments as Nia sustained a severe gash to her face, resulting in a graphic scene that WWE seemingly tried to cut away from. The announcing team didn’t acknowledge it, but it was clear the cut was deep.
Video of the incident quickly began to do the rounds on social media, with one uploader captioning their clip by stating: “Nia Jax’s face literally exploded.”
The severity of her injuries were captured by Jax in an Instagram post after the show, where a large gash was clearly visible over her eye where the chair had made contact.
In her post, Jax wrote, “Nobody makes me bleed my own blood!”. The images shared by the former two-time women’s world champion revealed just how intense the showdown was, with blood streaming down her face and staining her ring gear.
Stratton didn’t waste any time firing back in the comments, replying with a smirking emoji and the words, “I did.” The quick response from the WWE Women’s Champion only adds fuel to the fire after their intense clash.
Naomi also seemingly had no sympathy for Jax, tweeting “@LinaFanene I thought Samoans had hard heads? Yo head busted open like a can of biscuits!”Jax has had a chequered history with steel chairs inside a WWE ring.
At Survivor Series 2024, she was ridiculed for throwing some of the weakest-looking chair shots in company history. However, there can be no doubt that the steel chair landed with full force on Friday night.
Although she apparently hasn’t suffered any serious injuries as a result of the incident, Jax may be set for a spell on the sidelines while her face recovers from the impact of her most recent match.
