I'm definitely a person who works well under pressure.
— Nia Jax
I've always been a part-time model since I graduated from high school. I was hired by one of the major agencies, Wilhelmina in New York, so I modeled there and played basketball during the school season.
NXT women have literally changed women's wrestling, and being able to be a part of the division is great for me.
When I was a young girl playing basketball, WNBA was a dream.
I had actually had an injury that happened to me personally on a flight - an overhead bag fell directly on top of my head while I was on a plane. I was out of it; I was completely out of it.
I just want it to be normal for every fashion label to have all sizes. Completely inclusive - that's how it should be.
On 'Raw,' I'm the big mean girl who goes and beats everybody up; on 'Total Divas,' they will see a softer, vulnerable side of me that definitely isn't seen on 'Raw.'
I just love being a part of what happens during SummerSlam week.
I submitted a bunch of names. Nia is, like, a Samoan girl name that a lot of women have. Jax is from 'Sons of Anarchy.' I was super into Jax, so I threw the name Jax in there, and it came about that way.
I'd love to work with Charlotte Flair; she's the best athlete in our company.
Everyone is beautiful in their own way, and nobody should have self doubt.
When you're initially a heel, it's easier to be a heel. I'd rather people hate me than try to get them to love me.
If others think I am good with myself, they will, in turn, feel good about themselves.
My parents always kept my brothers and I in sports to keep us out of trouble.
I always had a love for the business. I remember hearing the stories about the patriarch of our family, 'High Chief' Peter Maivia, starting out wrestling in a rundown gym back in Auckland, New Zealand, then traveling the world, wrestling all over.
Nia Jax is bringing a whole different message to the 'Women's Evolution.' Yes, we are athletic. Yes, we can go just as hard as the men, but women come in all different shapes and sizes.
This is how God made me, and this is what my momma gave me. I am proud of this.
The Performance Center in Orlando is the best place to go if you want to be a professional wrestler.
I want young girls to be inspired to love themselves and strive to follow their dreams no matter what.
I remember arriving to my tryout and being extremely nervous, but the second I stepped in the ring, I knew this was where I was supposed to be.
When I came back to go back to school on my time off from modeling, I went to Palomar.
I guess I'm not too crazy on the road. I'm really like a freak - I always have to be driving.
I always spread my message of body positivity and fashion for everybody.
On 'Raw,' I'm more of a strong, silent type because I don't need to talk it up because I can back it up. But on 'Total Divas,' it's definitely different, because I'm unapologetically myself. I speak my mind, I'm goofy, and I like to have fun.
Basketball is my main sport, which I got a lot of scholarships through, but I chose modeling over basketball, though.
My first name during my first match was 'Lena.' I was still Lena then, just because we hadn't gotten a name yet.
I definitely feel that if somebody is struggling with themselves and how they look, they need to really channel the positivity within.
I really take pride in doing my own make-up all the time, which takes me about 40 minutes, and my hair takes another 15 to 20 minutes. Putting on my gear is probably another 15 minutes, so all in all, I don't think an hour and a half is too bad!
Never allow a stigma or the popular thing to define you.
When I got to the WWE, I found out there were a lot of girls who looked up to me and that I was giving them confidence. I realized I'm not doing this just for me.
Growing up, we were a poor yet tightknit family. My mother worked multiple jobs and always made sure that her kids never had to want for anything.
Nia Jax is Nia Jax. That's something that I have been trying to get across. I am who I am in the moment. I'm not a heel. I'm not a babyface. I'm Nia Jax.
Winning the championship at 'WrestleMania' was a dream come true because not only had it more than a decade since there had been a women's singles match at 'WrestleMania,' but the fact that I got to win it against my best friend in a storyline that was so close to my heart, it was just all kinds of emotional.
I know who I am and I know who I'm not. I'm different, yes, and I am big. But I love who I am.
I've been an athlete my whole life. I've played every sport, including soccer, baseball, softball, basketball.
Ultimately, I want to convey an image of a beautiful, strong, and confident woman.
Once I realized, when I became a plus-size model, that there were more women like me, my confidence immediately shot through the roof.
Most challenging, mainly for me, learning how to bump, learning to trust your body and trust somebody else with your body, when we're learning how to do bodyslams and suplexes and figuring out how to kick somebody right while making sure to protect each other. In the beginning, for me, a forward roll was pretty challenging.
I did a lot of lingerie modelling, like, for plus-size, like Macy's and Dillard's and Bloomingdale's. I was, like, on a billboard in New York one time in, like, a bra and underwear. Yeah.
Somebody we never talk about is Stephanie McMahon. She is such a huge power influence in our company. She is always pushing us to go the limit, and she doesn't take much credit for what she's done.
Obviously, Ronda Rousey and Alexa Bliss, I want to see how that one goes. I'm curious to see how Alexa is going to get out of that one.
I'm an athlete; my dad had made sure I played all the same sports as boys growing up, so I was always super competitive.
I get bullied for my size, my weight, and my look constantly. It's something that I'm glad we touched on in WWE. I'm glad we touched on it because it's real: it's something that happens in real life to kids all the time, especially in the age of cyber bullying.
It's great to see men enjoying seeing female wrestlers and the entertainment that we're providing.
Byron Saxton is creepy. He has a relationship between me and him going on in his head. I'm not included in this personally - like, I am, but I'm not. He has a weird fetish with my feet: he loves to call me different kinds of names, like 'Samoan Sweetcake' and 'Twinkle Toes.' It goes on from there.
If I'm called to be on the grandest stage, at 'WrestleMania,' I'll be ready.
I have a positive outlook, but when you're out in the public eye, you wonder how people see you.
I considered wrestling at a young age, but I never could relate to any of the Divas. I have always been a bigger girl, and I did not think that WWE would want a girl my size, so I never expressed my dream to wrestle.
That's what we do in the WWE: we tell stories; we're characters. We go into the ring, and my character is telling a story in the ring against another character.
Oh there's so many, but the one that I would love to see, that I would love to go up against, is Beth Phoenix. I would love for her to return. It would be something for me, kind of like a a childhood thing, growing up seeing her being such a dominant woman. I would love for her to show up and be in the ring with her.
