During a recent “Behind The Turnbuckle: The Last Word” podcast, former WWE announcer Jonathan Coachman was unreservedly critical of Nia Jax. Coachman, who briefly returned to WWE in 2018, stated Jax was not a fan of his during that time, presumably due to her close friendship with Renee Young, who Coachman replaced as a commentator.
“She was very critical of me when I came back in 2018,” Coachman said, implying that Jax’s disapproval originated from her loyalty to Young. However, Coachman argued that this previous issue had no bearing on his assessment of Jax’s in-ring performance.
“I never thought she was very good,” he said, “She’s always been protected by being in the family with The Rock.” Coachman went on to say that, despite her long tenure and championship reign in WWE, Jax has not showed the necessary skills or drive to be a top superstar.
He made a clear contrast between Jax and Liv Morgan, whom he dubbed the “MVP of 2024” because of her storyline with Dominik and good merchandise sales during Rhea Ripley’s absence. “On the other show, SmackDown, what did Nia Jax do? Nothing, because that’s what she’s always done,” Coachman said.
The former announcer also criticized Jax’s acting ability and alleged hypocrisy in her criticism of female wrestlers. “These women want to be looked at the same as men…They want to be criticized. Oh no, they don’t want to be criticized. They want it both ways,” he stated.
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
