100 Worst WWE Matches Ever - 56 - Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax
Raw, 30th August 2021
I’m not sure I could have planned this any better. On Saturday I sent out the teaser ready for this match, and just two days later we were all collectively blessed with the unexpected return of Nia Jax to WWE.
I never had that vehement hatred of Nia Jax that some corners of the fandom do. That’s not to say I was a particular fan either, but there was a time that I actually quite enjoyed what she was doing - namely that late NXT, early main roster run. But there’s no doubt that the final 18 months of her original WWE run were a disaster. She rapidly gained a reputation as a clumsy, unsafe worker, her character stagnated, and her personal views were causing resentment both inside WWE and among the fanbase.
In a strange twist of irony, this is actually one of the more interesting matches that Nia had had in years.
Right from the start something feels off about this match. Perhaps it’s confirmation bias from myself - a viewer with the benefit of hindsight - but even in the early going you can feel that something is awry. Charlotte starts the match off with taunts and stalling, and both do their fair share of trash talking. Not something new to wrestling matches, but knowing what’s about to transpire you can’t help but wonder how much of this was two people portraying a character, and how much was it a genuine disagreement between the two women.
The match is sloppy and ugly in the first half of the match, to the point that it’s somewhat difficult to tell where this match truly falls apart.
Much like my own sanity as I continue on this project, this match exponentially spirals out of control. This fake fight becomes very real to the point that after the commercial break the commentators are practically saying that this has become genuine. What happens next is one of the most blatant and startling examples of recklessness and unprofessionalism that you’re likely to see in WWE.
It’s not often you see a match like this happen, especially in the world of modern WWE where wrestlers are typically more relaxed than predecessors and the locker room is by all accounts a pretty stable place. In the rare occasions where a real fight breaks out in a match it can go one of two ways. Cooler heads can prevail and make for a better, more compelling match, or it can become a disjointed mess where the two are unable to cooperate with one another.
As I touched on earlier, this match is more compelling for the fight that breaks down. But it’s also ugly as anything we’re likely to see in this process. Neither woman co-operates with the other, leading to spots that vary everywhere from awkward, ugly, to outright nasty. As they stop co-operating, the spots become nastier. Nia hits a very ugly looking spinebuster, which I think if I had to pinpoint any point where the match loses control it’s there. Charlotte immediately kicks out after 1 in response to this.
Things only escalate further not 30 seconds later when Nia dumps Charlotte on her head on a haphazard backdrop. Then the two just start laying into one another. Every strike feels stiff, vicious, genuine. They’re slapping each other silly. Neither are selling a damn thing for the other - Charlotte begins outright sandbagging all of Nia’s offence. Nia dumps Charlotte on her head again following a Samoan Drop. Both have a look of absolute disgust and disdain throughout this whole breakdown. And with all due respect to them, neither of these two are good enough actors to portray a hatred this believable, and neither are good enough workers to have a stiff, but safe match that looks like this. Eventually the two manage to work together just enough to actually finish the match.
Nia would have one more match in this run - a rematch with Charlotte the following week. She never made another televised appearance after that until her return this year. I think this was probably the last straw for WWE with regards to Nia - a culmination of many months of wrestlers getting hurt in her matches. I suppose it’s not so bad if you’re clumsy and dangerous when you’re squashing nobodies, but when you start to threaten the wellbeing of genuine stars then the company will start to pay attention.
Both Charlotte and Nia have commented on this match and said that they are good friends. This match was a case of them getting carried away after a couple of missteps, which is refreshing to hear regardless of what you think of either lady. Overall I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to call this one of the most bizarre Raw matches ever. It certainly gives enough ammunition to the detractors of both women to last a lifetime
Up Next - Can you believe that one of the most shocking heel turns of all time led to … this?
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