Nia Jax was among the many Superstars released by WWE during the pandemic due to supposed "budget cuts," though it was another firing no one saw coming beforehand.
After all, Jax was pushed as a top star by the company and often featured in main event storylines. There's also no one else quite like her on the roster, though Doudrop does appear to have filled the void Jax left as a bigger, more dominant female wrestler. At the time of her release, we heard that Jax may have been given her marching orders after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. It turns out that's true.
"I stood my ground on certain things that I know that they weren’t happy about. I was choosing not to go and get the vaccine. It was a personal choice," Jax said on The Sessions with Renée Paquette (via WrestlingNews.co). "I remember sitting down with Vince because the entire two years I was there, we were tested every day, and I never popped positive. I never had COVID the whole time."
"It was like, ‘Well, kid, you’re not going to be able to fulfill some of your contractual duties’. I was like, ‘Well, if that’s the case, then that’s the case.’ Like, it’s a business, and I understand you got to run your business," she continued. "But that’s when I was like, you know, I feel really good because of the decision for myself. I stood by how I felt. I always go by my gut feeling. If it doesn’t feel right in my stomach, I just can’t force myself to do something I don’t feel good with."
Ultimately, it's Jax's choice if she doesn't want the vaccine, but not taking it limits the states and countries she can travel to, resulting in her becoming more of a burden than anything else to WWE. It sounds like Vince McMahon addressed that with her directly, but Jax clearly doesn't regret it.
It's unclear whether she plans to wrestle again, though it could be tough for Jax to find a steady gig with another company given her habit of injuring opponents and a limited skillset in the ring.