WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi didn’t hold back on his thoughts about Nia Jax’s recent chair shot performance at Survivor Series. During the latest episode of his “Off The Top Rope” podcast, the Samoan wrestling legend expressed his disappointment with Jax’s seemingly weak swings, which have also drawn criticism from fans online.
“As a wrestler, I’ll tell you what. As a Samoan, you gotta swing that damn thing,” Rikishi stated bluntly. He questioned whether Jax was adequately trained on proper chair shot technique during her time in WWE’s developmental system.
“It almost looked like a love tap,” Rikishi continued, “I don’t feel like she wanted to swing the chair, but she didn’t want to hurt somebody.” He acknowledged the possibility of slow-motion replays exaggerating the issue but maintained that Jax’s technique appeared flawed.
Rikishi offered some advice for the former WWE Superstar: “Nia, if you’re listening, next time you grab that chair, It’s okay. Swing that damn thing like Babe Ruth. I want you to knock it out of the park, and if anybody comes to you complaining about it, about the chair shot, well, hey, this is the game that we’re in. This is what it is. If you can’t take a chair shot, well, you are in the wrong business.”
While critical of the chair shots, Rikishi also empathized with Jax, acknowledging the potential emotional factors at play. “I didn’t know if it was from slow motion from editing, but when I kept looking at it, just the way she was swinging it, like, Nia, if you’re listening, next time you grab that chair, It’s okay,” he said, before adding, “who knows the emotion? Is this a friend? What I’m saying is, you gotta put that out from your head when you’re performing.”
He emphasized the importance of protecting fellow wrestlers while still delivering impactful offense. “If I hit you with a chair, like, I’m gonna hit you with it, but it doesn’t mean that I’m gonna hit you hard, like I’m mad at you. It’s never that. We gotta protect what we got.”
Rikishi concluded with a lighthearted invitation: “You come to KnokX Pro. Let me show you how to swing that chair the right way. Keep practicing.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Rikishi Fatu Off The Top with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
