Nia Jax recently revisited the moment in 2018 when she unintentionally broke Becky Lynch’s nose during a WWE match. Speaking on the Insight podcast, Jax shared her apprehension about backstage consequences and recounted Vince McMahon’s unexpected response to the injury. She explained how the incident sparked intense heel heat for her character and altered Survivor Series plans, turning what could have been a career setback into a pivotal moment.
Jax described the chaotic nature of the match, recalling how she was repeatedly targeted due to her size.
“No. I do realize in the moment when I hit her, I felt on my knuckle a little [contact], and I was like, ****. Because when it happened, this will be funny. Go back to the beginning, where we came in and they were like, ‘Hey, we got to sell this match, go in there, give it your all. Say sorry later.’ A producer said that to us. I was like, All right, we’re in there. And naturally, I feel like I’m an easy target because I’m the biggest girl. So I kept getting punched, hit from all angles, and I’m like, mother trucker. I’m in the corner with Naomi, and we’re fighting, and somebody comes and just clinks me in the back of my head, and I just turn around. I’m like, ‘Get the f off me.’ Didn’t realize it was Becky. I thought it was Lana. I turned and connected, and I felt it, and I was just like, oh ****! I didn’t realize how bad it was until I looked down and I just saw her bleeding all over the mat. Then she rolled out, and Dana was looking at her, taking care of her. Then we get done, and we go to the back, and I’m sitting there going, like, Oh my gosh, I’m in so much trouble. This is it. I think they’re done with me. I was getting my papers. Then Becky was in the trainer’s room, and I couldn’t go in there, they were checking her out, and I was just trying to make sure she was okay.”
– Nia Jax, WWE Wrestler
Backstage, the reaction was tense as the footage was reviewed. Jax said,
“Then I had to go talk to Vince and the producers, and they were all quiet, but talking to each other and not saying anything to me. Then in gorilla they had it on the screen, he was talking to Kevin, ‘Let me see the footage.’ They were replaying it from every angle. And I was like, oh, man, it was a tough time. Then Vince was like, ’It’s not ballet, ****’s gonna happen.’ I was like, okay, because I’ve been cussed out by Vince before for other things, so I thought oh for sure I’m gonna get cussed out for this. He was like, ‘It’s not ballet. **** happens, is she okay?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ He said ‘Go check on her.’ He’s like, go check on her. Then from there, it just exploded all over the internet. Then I think when I tweeted out, it was a joke, and I asked Becky about it if I could, it was like I had a cut on my hand from the punch. And it was from the movie The Campaign, ‘Is anybody asking me how my fist is doing?’ I thought it was funny just like every heel is justified. But it was definitely that people were way too sensitive to it. That’s when I went nuclear heat. I’ll never forget the next week was Survivor Series, and I wasn’t supposed to win that match, whatever it was supposed to be. I think it was Sasha was supposed to win that match. I was still trending about the punch, and everybody was telling Vince the internet is still going nuts about Nia punching Becky in the face. Then right before the doors open, he was like, ‘Finish change, Nia over.’ He said, ‘Yeah, when you go out there, you show your fist and you smile.’ I was like, All right.”
– Nia Jax, WWE Wrestler
The Incident Involving Jade Cargill and Lyra Valkyria
Nia Jax also discussed two other intense moments from her career involving Jade Cargill and Lyra Valkyria. During a match, Jax accidentally threw Cargill into the steel steps, causing a serious cut. She admitted she had not fully grasped the severity until seeing footage later.
“That was weird, because I know I’m strong. But yeah, I didn’t realize that even happened. I didn’t realize she hit her head that hard on the steps. So when I saw it, because I didn’t actually get to see the full extent of it until later, I was very shocked that she split open that badly. But it was definitely different. It was a different moment, for sure. But yeah, that was pretty scary.”
– Nia Jax, WWE Wrestler
Regarding Lyra Valkyria, Jax reflected on a high-impact move and commended Valkyria’s resilience.
“Well, she’s a tough cookie. I’ll tell you that Lyra is a tough cookie. But, yeah, that was something that somebody had pitched for the match, let’s try this, something different. We rehearsed it, but we didn’t go full in rehearsal, right? I’m like, ‘Hey, this is a one-time shot, you don’t want to keep taking this if you don’t have to.’ So then we did it in the match, and I just remember landing, all 270 pounds of me were into Lyra’s rib cage. So she took it like a champ. I give her all the credit, because she’s tough.”
– Nia Jax, WWE Wrestler
Big E Reflects on The New Day’s Early Challenges and Success
Big E, a former American football player turned professional wrestler, recently spoke about the early days of The New Day and the obstacles they overcame to achieve success in WWE. He revealed that even The Big Show initially doubted their potential, advising Kofi Kingston to reconsider the group’s future. Big E shared this during a conversation on 103.5 The Fan, emphasizing the perseverance needed to thrive.
“It was such a roller coaster ride. You know, getting the idea off the ground took us so long, and it was so difficult, and there were so many no’s, so many people backstage who laughed at us, and we tell this story often, Big Show pulling Kofi aside in front of us, in front of me and Woods, and said, ‘What are you doing with these guys? You’re wasting your time.’ He wasn’t joking, and I mentioned Big Show. There are other people I won’t name. I mentioned Big Show because Big Show later came to us and apologized and said, ‘I was completely wrong.’”
– Big E, WWE Wrestler
Big E continued to reflect on the challenges and the rewards,
“But we had some real difficulties getting the thing off the ground. But it was so rewarding for us because we just came together through it all, and we said, ‘Look, we’re going to do things our way, and if we fail doing things in our own way, I’m OK with that.’ But doing things someone else’s way and failing, we just weren’t OK with that. So we wanted to sink or swim based on our own merits, and then when this thing finally took off, man, it’s so cool to be able to look back at KofiMania, to look back at the Hell in a Cell match. I took a Rock Bottom. We were the number one merch movers at Dallas during that year in 2016.”
– Big E, WWE Wrestler
Reflecting on his career and current endeavors, Big E noted,
“But man, we had such a blast. And looking back now, my time in the ring is over doing stuff on the commentary side. But I can look back now, and I have no regrets because there are so many times with Kofi and Woods, we spent crying, laughing. We really enjoyed it, and I think too often in our business, so many guys get jaded. They worry about their push. They don’t really enjoy the experience, and I can look back and think, ‘Man, I knew I was in the good old days when I was in the good old days.’ I don’t go back and regret it. But I knew then, ‘Hey, soak it all up. Be present because these are memories.’ Man, I have had such an incredible career. I talk about wrestling Randy Orton in South Africa. I’ve wrestled in Japan more times than I can count. I’ve been all over the world. I’ve had so many incredible experiences, and being able to entertain people truly across the globe has been one of life’s greatest joys.”
– Big E, WWE Wrestler
On Seeing Other Talents Rise and Wrestling Politics
Big E also shared admiration for rising stars and addressed the political nature of the wrestling industry. He praised the journey of Sami Zayn, appreciating his evolution from independent circuits to WWE’s main event stages.
“I think as a fan, I love seeing the rise. I love seeing the climb, watching a guy’s career. You don’t get to watch someone. If you watch Sami Zayn, if you first knew Sami Zayn when he was El Generico, seeing him grind on the independent scene to one day get signed by WWE, then seeing him unmask, and now he’s Sami Zayn, the climb through NXT, I love that. I love that when you get to see a guy that you might have watched at a VFW hall 15 years ago, Seeing him now climb to headline WrestleMania, to main event WrestleMania, I love that. I love watching the rise of talent.”
– Big E, WWE Wrestler
On wrestling’s challenges, especially the mid-card stigma, he added,
“Yeah, man, it’s hard to hear when when people think you’re just a mid-carder or you’re just an opening act, and that’s about all you will be. Because I think one of the beautiful things in wrestling is the ability to move up the ladder, to get over with the audience and to really climb, and so many times in our industry, it’s a very political industry, and a lot of people in a room that make a lot of decisions, about the rest of your career, and we just, we (The New Day) didn’t want to only be what people thought we were going to be. We thought our faction would be a great opportunity for us to elevate our careers, and it did in immeasurable ways. So shout out to the talent who are always grinding, who are always trying to be more than what people think they can be. Because that is what this, that’s what entertainment is as a whole, and you have to be okay with that. But for us, we were always fighting for more.”
– Big E, WWE Wrestler
Why This Incident and Reflection Matter
The revelations from Nia Jax and Big E offer a rare, somber look behind the curtain of WWE’s flash and spectacle, highlighting the real risks and emotional toll wrestlers endure. Jax’s account exposes how an accidental injury can dramatically shift storylines and character directions, while McMahon’s candid acknowledgment that “It’s not ballet” underscores the harsh realities of professional wrestling.
Meanwhile, Big E’s reflection on perseverance amid doubt reveals the demanding nature of wrestling careers, shaped both by physical strife and backstage politics. These stories remind fans and aspiring wrestlers alike that success in WWE often follows through persistence despite setbacks, misunderstandings, and intense scrutiny. As such, the Becky Lynch nose break and its fallout remain an influential episode showing the unpredictable interplay between performance, injury, and career trajectory in wrestling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbIpMo6fBIs
