Nia Jax’s next fight: WWE ‘Queen of the Ring’ earns title shot at SummerSlam

Following an impressive victory at the King and Queen of the Ring PLE, Nia Jax already has her sights set on her next opponent.

Jax first broke into the professional wrestling industry by signing with NXT in 2014 as a prized prospect for the developmental brand.

She arrived on the main roster following the 2016 WWE Draft, which saw her selected by Raw, where Jax would begin a lengthy winning streak.

Upon arrival, the ‘Irresistible Force’ was a wrecking ball to the division, eventually winning the Raw Women’s Championship from Alexa Bliss at WrestleMania 34.

From there, Jax fell out of favor with the WWE, primarily due to several botched moves, with some resulting in injury to her opponents, as well as lackluster ability on the microphone.

WWE cut ties with the scuddling star in November 2021. But rather than let that deter her, Jax took it as an opportunity to hone her craft. And that’s precisely what happened.

After being impressed by her drastic improvements — as an in-ring performer and speaker when cutting promos — WWE re-signed her to a new deal.

She made a shocking return at the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble match before officially taking on a full-time role with the company again later in the year.

Since her return, Jax has become one of the most hated heels in the women’s division. When the Queen of the Ring tournament began, Nia promised to take the crown.

Although it took some devious maneuvers on her part, Jax made good on this guarantee by dispatching Naomi, Jade Cargill, and Bianca Belair and clinching a spot in the tournament’s finale.

Then, she met Lyra Valkyria, who put up a valiant effort against a much larger woman but ultimately fell short against the terrifying Jax.

Nia Jax’s next fight: WWE Women’s Championship bout at SummerSlam

Now, the once-forgotten star has ascended to wrestling royalty, and Jax will get a crack at the WWE Women’s Championship at the SummerSlam PLE in August.

Prior to the Queen of the Ring finale, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque announced that the winner of the tournament would receive a world title match against their brand’s champion.

With Jax residing on SmackDown, that means Bayley will get the dubious honor of battling it out with the ‘Irresistible Force’ later in the summer.

During SmackDown the night before the King and Queen of the Ring PLE, Jax directly addressed Bayley, promising to add her belt to the Queen’s crown.

Later in the episode, Jax and Bayley even came face to face backstage, with Nia throwing down a stark warning to the reigning champion.

“Bayley, keep that thing clean until SummerSlam,” Jax said while looking at the WWE Women’s Championship.

After a brief stare-down, Bayley walked away without uttering a word, while Jax gave a cheeky smile to the camera as it was panning away.

Love her or hate her, one thing is clear with Jax: She is not afraid of anyone. And that goes for Bayley, the four-time world champion, as well.

It’s the classic heel vs babyface story that WWE was built on, but there’s a chance this showdown doesn’t even happen if Bayley loses beforehand.

The promise was for a WWE Women’s Championship match at SummerSlam, but that’s all. There is no guaranteed opponent for Jax.

As such, that leaves her next fight somewhat in limbo. It’s expected that Jax and Bayley will share the ring at the ‘Biggest Party of the Summer.’

But until August arrives, the new Queen of the Ring must keep her eyes on the world title picture, as Bayley will likely defend her belt at least once before then.