Veteran thinks Nia Jax might injure WWE stars with the Bonzai Drop
Nia Jax landed a second-rope Bonzai Drop on Rhea Ripley during her unexpected WWE return on the September 11 episode of RAW. Legendary wrestling booker and manager Dutch Mantell did not have problem with the segment. However, he thinks smaller wrestlers might get injured if they receive the same move.
The incident happened moments after Ripley retained the Women's World Championship against Raquel Rodriguez thanks to Jax's assistance. Following the match, The Irresistible Force headbutted Ripley before squashing her body with a Bonzai Drop. She also repeatedly slapped the Aussie in the face while sitting on top of her.
On Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the wrestling veteran addressed the ongoing debate about Jax potentially injuring future opponents:
"She has so much talk about her hurting people," Mantell said. "She did that sit-down on Rhea. Now, she can do it on Rhea – Rhea's a pretty big girl – but some of those other girls, I think she'd crush them because she moves pretty well, but I don't know if she could control that weight." [0:40 – 1:02]
Jax previously worked for WWE between 2014 and 2021. During that time, she developed a reputation for being overly physical with some of her in-ring rivals. In 2018, The Rock's relative famously broke Becky Lynch's nose and gave her a concussion six days before Survivor Series, causing the creative plans to change.
Dutch Mantell on the possibility of Nia Jax vs. Rhea Ripley
Raquel Rodriguez and Rhea Ripley missed the September 18 episode of RAW due to the storyline injuries they suffered at Nia Jax's hands.
Despite having concerns about Jax's in-ring safety, Dutch Mantell enjoyed her return and thinks WWE's creative team should book her against Ripley:
"I think they do have some money with the Rhea and Nia [storyline]. Let's get the creative team on that and see what they can come up with. It is pretty interesting, but I did like the way she debuted. She just showed up." [1:31 – 1:46]
Former WWE Superstar Stevie Richards was highly critical of Jax's return segment. He accused the former RAW Women's Champion of being "unsafe" and described the booking as "awful."
What did you make of Nia Jax's return? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.