WWE star recalls what she told Randy Orton in a backstage meeting: "I do not want to mess up the RKO"
Randy Orton's RKO is one of the most recognizable finishers in wrestling, and even a handful of women have taken it in a WWE ring. Nia Jax, who has taken the maneuver in the past, recently recalled competing in the Men's Royal Rumble.
Jax created history in 2019 when she wrestled in both the Royal Rumble matches, coming out at the #30 spot in the Men's match later in the night.
During a recent chat with Chris Van Vliet, the former RAW Women's Champion revealed she had no time to prepare for the surprise Men's Rumble appearance as she wasn't informed beforehand.
Jax's biggest concern was how she would take the moves of some top male stars, as she recalled below:
"It was funny because I was in the Women's Rumble, and we rehearsed all that, and we were ready to go, and then I'm like, the doors are opening, I can't walk through anything with the guys. I don't know what to do. I've never taken this; I've never taken that before." [From 00:55 - 01:07]
Watch the video here:
After being eliminated from the Women's Royal Rumble, Nia Jax was instructed to go into a room where several male superstars were waiting for her. The names included Rey Mysterio, Dolph Ziggler, Andrade, and Randy Orton, who would eventually give Nia Jax an RKO.
The Samoan WWE star was nervous about getting hit with the iconic finisher and told Orton about her apprehensions during the backstage meeting.
Like a true pro, The Viper calmed her down and promised the whole spot would go smoothly. Jax continued:
"Once I was done with the Women's Rumble, they asked me to go back to this room. I went back to the room; it was Randy [Orton], Rey [Mysterio], Dolph [Ziggler], and Andrade. They were like, 'Okay, we're going to hit you with this, this and that.' I'm like, 'Okay, I've never.' Then I look at Randy and go, 'Randy, I do not want to mess up the RKO.' He was like, 'Don't worry about it. Just turn to the left, and I'll take you the rest of the way.' But yeah, it was incredible." [From 01:08 - 01:32]
Nia Jax had no clue about WWE's Royal Rumble plans
When Nia Jax entered the building for the WWE Royal Rumble in 2019, she was just focused on the women's match and her role in the entire proceedings.
Little did the wrestler realize that WWE had a last-minute addition in the men's showdown, and she would be the final entrant.
Nia claimed that she knew about her Men's Rumble booking only after the doors had been opened for the show. Only a couple of people knew about the closely guarded secret, and Jax, unfortunately, wasn't one of the unnamed duo:
"It was pretty fun. I mean, I didn't know about it till the doors were opening. They didn't tell me about it till the doors opened! I had no idea. Nobody knew. There were like two people who knew, and I wasn't one of them." [From 00:30 - 0051]
Jax has looked better than ever following her recent return to WWE and would be hoping for a noteworthy Road to WrestleMania.
Can you name the first woman wrestler to enter the men's Royal Rumble match? Shoot in the comment section below.
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