Nia Jax vs. Naomi receives massive praise from WWE legend

Nia Jax may not be WWE Women’s Champion anymore, but her final successful title defense on SmackDown this past Friday received massive praise from Mark Henry. The Hall of Famer put over The Irresistible Force and her opponent Naomi, for putting on a show, and everything that transpired post-match.

The bout that was heavily promoted heading into the show was Nia Jax vs. Naomi for the Women’s Championship, but it was not the main event. According to Henry, this is the reason why WWE was able to surprise everybody with the cash-in on the first episode of SmackDown in the new year. Tiffany Stratton finally cashed in her Money in the Bank contract to become the new champion right after Jax had successfully retained over The Glow.

Speaking on Busted Open, Mark Henry praised Nia Jax for her performance. Although she may have been deemed someone difficult to work with, she had earned her place on the roster as a hard worker. Henry also praised the other women who were part of the angle, Bianca Belair, Tiffany Stratton, and Candice LeRae.

“They should be d**n proud. I hope they get a bump in pay, a raise. You work for the reward and the pride because you want to be good at what you do. But d**nit! When you do something that exceeds the expectation, you should be paid like you exceeded the expectation,” Mark Henry said. [From 18:27 to 18:52]

You can check out his comments in the podcast below:

Mark Henry also noted that Tiffany Stratton will now need a muscle after swerving both Nia Jax and Candice LeRae. Henry and co-host Denise Salcedo had a few names in mind, too.

Mark Henry says WWE can bring in TNA’s Jordynne Grace as Tiffany Stratton’s muscle

Like her counterpart on WWE RAW Liv Morgan, who has Raquel Rodriguez as her muscle, Tiffany Stratton would need someone who was believable, noted Mark Henry.

He brought up TNA’s Jordynne Grace, who made her WWE debut last year at the Royal Rumble and made a few more appearances for the Stamford-based promotion. Henry added that because of the relationship both companies have, it would not be out of the question.

Mark Henry also agreed with co-host Denise Salcedo that NXT’s Zaria was ready to move to the main roster and take on that role. It remains to be seen if The Buff Barbie forms an alliance with someone in the coming weeks.

If you use the quote from the first part of this article, please credit the Busted Open podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.