WWE Backlash 2020 Results: Asuka Retains As ‘Unsafe’ Criticisms Pile Up Against Nia Jax

Asuka and Nia Jax battled to a double-countout at WWE Backlash, setting up a potential Triple Threat between Asuka, Nia Jax and Charlotte after Charlotte controversially defeated Asuka on Raw.

WWE Backlash 2020 saw a showdown between quite possibly the most beloved and the most hated woman of the empty-arena era in wrestling in Asuka and Jax, respectively.

Asuka has won the hearts and minds of WWE’s fickle audience through a series of highly entertaining guest spots on commentary, as the promotion has been rewarded by allowing her to speak in her native language of Japanese with the volume turned up past 10.

Nia Jax, who recently returned from double ACL surgery, has had a nightmarish comeback with familiar criticisms of Jax being unsafe once again resurfacing following two scary spots in matches against Kairi Sane.

Shortly after the troubling death of Hana Kimura, amid claims of cyberbullying, many representatives of WWE’s shrinking hardcore fanbase shrugged off any concern of targeted attacks against public figures in wrestling as Jax was placed in their crosshairs. Jax received nuclear heat from fans online following reports—and later the actual footage—of Jax playing a hand in an accident that led to a nasty cut on Kairi Sane’s forehead.

The criticism has become so prominent, Jax recently responded to them in a recent interview with Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT:

“I feel like every person or character who would say, ‘Oh, whatever they say doesn’t bother me,’ are kind of lying,” Jax said.

“Because I am working for the approval of an audience. Whether it be hating or loving, I want their reaction. So when you’re on Twitter and you see it constantly, it can definitely get to you a little bit. It’s like, ‘Wow, all I’m seeing is negativity.’”

“But when I step back and I actually immerse myself into the WWE Universe—like when I get to see the crowd and fans—I know that’s just a small percentage on Twitter who have nothing better to do than hate on somebody. The fans in real life are so welcoming, so giving and so understanding, I’ve had nothing but positive feedback from them and I’m super grateful for that.”

Jax’s response, while classy, is rather tone deaf to the matter at hand of legitimate concern over Jax being unsafe in the ring, which has led to serious injuries in the past and could lead to much worse if it continues to become a theme. While many fans piling on are garden-variety Twitter scum, to dismiss this otherwise valid criticism as some fans being “haters” suggests Jax doesn’t plan on going out of her way to confront her most glaring weakness moving forward.