Since making her main roster debut at the WWE draft back in July, Nia Jax has shown why she isn’t like most girls. No superstar in either women’s division comes close to her 6 feet tall 240 pound physique. She has squashed every single opponent she has faced on Monday Night Raw, except for her longtime NXT rival Bayley, who only won off of a Sasha Banks interference. She entered a Raw women’s division which has gone stale recently because of the limited number of superstars on television every week. With that in mind, Jax has a great opportunity in front of her to make herself known as one of the best monster heels of the women’s division in recent memory.

Nia Jax is often portrayed on Raw as a giant with few words letting her unstoppable force in the ring do the talking. Unfortunately, this leaves the WWE Universe feeling disconnected from her. Many fans connect with superstars like Raw Women’s Charlotte because they know of her father, WWE Hall of Fame legend Ric Flair. Without knowing any type of back story for Nia Jax, how will anyone be able to connect to her or relate to her story as a character? Nevertheless, she is here to stay on Monday Night Raw for a long time. Considering the obstacles she had to overcome, one might be shocked how difficult it was for Jax to make her way to the top of the women’s division in WWE.

Here are 15 facts wrestling fans might not know about Nia Jax:

15 15. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is Her Cousin

Nia Jax is of Samoan descent and is a member of the wrestling family known as the Anoa’is. The Anoa’i family is often considered one of the greatest wrestling families because of how many WWE wrestlers they have produced. Including Jax, there are six members of the Anoa’i family in the WWE today. These superstars consist of Jimmy and Jey Uso, Tamina, Naomi, and Roman Reigns. However, Jax considers herself closest to “The People's Champ” Dwayne Johnson.

The Rock has even posted pictures of Jax and him working out on his Instagram, stating how proud he is of his little cousin and how she will make a great champion one day. It says even more about her that she does not need to use the popularity of The Rock to get ahead in WWE.

14 14. Fell In Love With Wrestling After Cena and Rock At WM XXVIII

The main event of WrestleMania XXVIII featured two of the most beloved superstars in WWE during that time and the match was referred as a “Once in a Lifetime Match.” Nia Jax witnessed the match live at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida. Cena and Rock delivered an instant classic, trading blow for blow, which ended with Rock finishing Cena with the Rock Bottom. Once the match had ended, Jax immediately felt she must find a way to join this business.

She had plans to attend her uncle’s wrestling school, but The Rock insisted she tryout at the new WWE performance center in Orlando, Florida. Two years after witnessing her cousin win the main event of WrestleMania, Jax signed her first WWE contract in 2014.

13 13. She Was Kicked Out Of Karate Classes As A Young Girl

Long before Nia Jax had even a thought on becoming a WWE Superstar, she was a child enrolled in karate, kickboxing, and judo. Most parents like to involve their children in a variety of different activities and sports to see what their child might be interested in. Unfortunately, it was a bit more difficult for Nia’s parents. Nia was kicked out of karate, kickboxing, and judo because she would always end up hurting another child during these events.

Although it might be humorous for her to look back on now and laugh, I’m sure it was frustrating for her as a child to be much stronger and bigger than the rest of kids her age. Thankfully, her strength as a child helped her grow into the monster of a Superstar she is today.

12 12. Basketball Was Her Favorite Sport Growing Up

Many WWE superstars have had experience in different sports before making a career in professional wrestling. Even Jax’s distant cousin Roman Reigns played in the NFL before making the transition to WWE. Nia Jax grew up in San Diego, California and played basketball at Carlsbad High School. She was one of the best players to ever come out of her high school and received a scholarship to college because of her basketball skill. She took her talents to Palomar University and played basketball all four years at the university. Coaches and former teammates had nothing but high praise for her when asked about her basketball skills.

If it had not been for a few decisions she made after graduating with a business degree, Jax may have end up playing ball overseas or in the WNBA.

11 11. She is A Former Model

After graduating from Palomar University, Jax was attending a modeling show in California when a judge approached her. He asked if she had any interest in getting into plus sized modeling and she agreed to give it a shot. As one could imagine, this greatly enhanced her self-esteem and gave her the confidence most plus sized women don’t have.

WWE has been known to give WWE contracts to former models, such as Maryse and Eva Marie. The difference between them and Nia Jax is that she was brought on for wrestling skill and ability instead of just looks alone. Although she may not fit the physical description of many people’s idea of a WWE women’s wrestler, she continues to prove she belongs with the best of Raw’s women’s division.

10 10. She Inspires Young Plus Sized Girls

After becoming a plus sized model out of college, Jax met many other plus sized models which made her feel more comfortable with her figure. She admitted that she could never relate to the ideal Victoria Secret model because of her weight and curves. She also knows that most women and young girls are not a size zero, so they should have a role model who fits what body type and physique they may have. Jax wants young girls to feel comfortable in their own skin and try not to become obsessed with looking like unrealistic models on television and magazines.

Many children who may be overweight now can look at Nia Jax and think one day they can make the WWE, even if they are a bit heavier than the other children in the neighborhood.

9 9. She Speaks German

Nia Jax’s father may have been linked to the Anoa’i family, but her mother is an immigrant from Germany. Jax has stated that her mother had a thick German accent, so she could not help her with her homework growing up, even though she always pushed academics to come first. Jax claims to know the language sparingly from when her mother used to speak it in their home growing up.

Several WWE superstars have made their diverse language speaking abilities known to the public. Former Raw Tag Team Champion Cesaro even speaks five different languages: Italian, French, English, Swiss, and German. The sixteen-time champion, John Cena, recently wished the WWE Universe a Happy Chinese New Year while speaking Mandarin. Because of the popularity of the WWE around the world, it is crucial for superstars to let their fans know of their diverse languages.

8 8. Her WWE Journey Almost Ended As Soon As It Began

Before Nia Jax became the monster that she is in the WWE, she faced a life threatening scare. In August of 2014, Jax and her aunt were attending a charity event hosted by fellow Superstars, The Usos. Driving home from the event later that evening, they were hit straight on by a drunk driver. The car flipped and they were all rushed to the hospital. Fortunately, Jax only suffered a few minor injuries and was able to recover back to full health. After staring death in the face, Jax realized how important it was to live life to the fullest and promised herself never to take life for granted again. Even her cousin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, chimed in over social media to extend how grateful he was that his cousin made it out of the accident okay.

7 7. She Was Defeated By Bayley And Carmella In Her NXT Debut

Nia Jax made her long awaited NXT debut during a house show in May of 2015. She teamed up with Devin Taylor in a tag team bout against Bayley and Carmella. Carmella and Bayley defeated Jax and Taylor, but now Taylor is the only one no longer under contract with the WWE. In October of 2015, Taylor was released from the WWE during an episode of Breaking Ground because of her inability to stay healthy.

The other interesting part about this matchup is the tag team of Bayley and Carmella. Looking at where Bayley and Carmella stand now with the WWE, most fans would never associate them as tag team partners. Bayley had a instant connection with the fans since her main roster debut while Carmella was forced to change her character since the fans no longer associated her with Enzo Amore and Big Cass.

6 6. Her Former In-Ring Name was Zada

Many wrestlers go through a few names before settling on the one that fits them best. John Cena was even called The Prototype before realizing his own name was the best option moving forward. Zada is of Syrian origin and translates to fortunate and prosperous in the English language, which is a pretty fair description of her journey to the WWE so far. Overcoming many obstacles to be standing in the ring on Monday Night Raw sure has made her realize how fortunate she is.

In August of 2015, she changed her in-ring name to Nia Jax. It seems to fit more of a monster heel’s personality and gives off a villainous vibe. Looking back now, it is safe to say she made the right choice switching her name.

5 5. She Had A Power Alliance With Eva Marie In NXT

After making her television debut in NXT against indie scene standout Evie in October of 2015, Jax teamed up with former model and now member of SmackDown Live, Eva Marie. The two called themselves The Power Alliance. With Jax strength and power and Marie’s stunning good looks, it was always a sight to see the two in the ring together. Jax also stated she loved working with Eva in and out of the ring because how dedicated and hard-working she was.

However, their alliance was short lived because Nia was placed into a feud with Bayley for the NXT Women’s Title. Since then, both women’s careers have gone in different directions. We now see Nia Jax on a weekly basis on Monday Night Raw, while we only see Eva Marie during episodes of E’s Total Divas.

4 4. She Only Spent A Year in NXT before her Main Roster Call Up

It is incredibly rare for a superstar with as little experience as Nia Jax to get called up to the WWE main roster so quickly. Most NXT superstars spend a few years developing all of their wrestling skills and abilities to the highest level before being given the call up to Raw or SmackDown. Jax’s first match in NXT was October of 2015 and her first match on Raw was in July of 2016.

To put things into perspective, the current Women’s Champion for Monday Night Raw, Charlotte, spent over two years in the NXT brand. By doing this, she was able to solidify all of her talents and become the face of all of the women in WWE in just over a year on Raw. The difference between the two women is WWE was desperate to call up a monster heel and Nia Jax was the perfect candidate.

3 3. Nia Jax Injured Britt Baker in her Main Roster Debut

Nia Jax made her main roster debut July 25th, 2016 on Monday Night Raw. She went up against local competitor Britt Baker in what ended in a quick squash match. Jax stood tall in the ring after pinning her opponent relatively easy. During the match, however, Nia busted open Baker during the match and the referee had to put on gloves to attend to her. Although it wasn’t bad enough to stop the match, it showed the inexperience Jax still had after being called up to Raw. Even though it might have just been nerves catching up with her, Jax needs to be more careful since she is so much bigger than the rest of her competition and could end up causing a much more serious injury to another superstar.

2 2. She is Dating Former NXT Superstar Josh Woods

People always like to keep up with celebrity drama and who's dating who, so here’s the scoop on Nia. She is currently dating four-time All American and former NXT superstar Josh Woods. The two do not hide their relationship like other WWE couples such as Dean Ambrose and Renee Young. They are very active on social media showing their affection for one another.

Josh appeared on WWE’s Tough Enough and was released by WWE in late July of this year, which was right around the time of Jax’s call up the main roster. It is safe to say they met during their time in NXT together, even if his was short-lived. Even though they no longer are in the same company, they still find a way to make their relationship work. Josh now wrestles for Evolve.

1 1. She is One of Six WWE Superstars Born in Hawaii

WWE Superstars come from all over the world, which helps make their brand of wresting so appealing to a diverse audience. Nia Jax was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii before moving to San Diego California as a child with her family. Even if she roots for the Padres and Chargers, she still feels a connection to where she was raised. Hawaii is not known as a platform to produce wrestling talent, but they have produced some WWE wrestlers. Jax puts herself in company with Mr. Fuji, Brian Adams, Malia Hosaka, Lena Yada, Don Muraco, and Harold Sakata.

Jax has the potential to make herself the most well-known Hawaiian wrestler of all time, as well as one of the most feared women’s wrestlers this generation has to offer.