Derek Holloway on May 9, 2026
Paige getting busted open on the May 8 edition of WWE SmackDown has now sparked major backlash— with a ton of fans directly calling for Nia Jax’s firing after the segment aired.
The injury happened during the chaotic pull-apart involving Paige, Brie Bella, Fatal Influence, Lash Legend, and Nia Jax.
During the segment, Jax used a microphone during the assault, and Paige ended up leaving the show bloodied badly enough to require stitches backstage. After SmackDown went off the air, Paige uploaded photos showing blood pouring down the side of her face along with images of the wound being stitched up backstage. Even while injured, Paige still joked about the situation while referencing Nia Jax by her real name, Lina Fanene.
“So @LinaFanene said ‘welcome back btch’”
The photos quickly spread online, and once fans realized Paige had been busted open during the segment, Twitter immediately turned into a pile-on against Jax. A large number of fans openly blamed Nia for the injury and questioned why WWE continues using her in major segments despite her long history of criticism surrounding in-ring safety. One fan angrily questioned why WWE still employs Jax at all.
“Why the f*** does Nia still have a JOBBBBBBuh. I swear to god she’s always hurting someone”
Another fan specifically criticized the microphone spot itself, comparing it to similar wrestling angles that are normally worked much more safely. According to the fan, the issue wasn’t the idea of using the microphone — it was how the shot connected.
“Never fails for Nia Jax to botch simple bumps. She didn’t even hit her in the head with the mic like everyone else does—Cody Rhodes to Gunther for instance. She literally clunked her with the hard box pieced corner”
Another fan brought up Kairi Sane’s release while criticizing WWE for continuing to feature Jax despite prior complaints from fans about injuries involving her.
“Kairi sane had to go but the b**** who’s the most unsafe person to work with gets to stay and immediately puts Paige in danger. This is why I don’t watch this s***** company anymore”
Other reactions followed the same theme, with fans once again revisiting Jax’s long-running reputation online regarding safety inside the ring.
“How does Nia Jax still have a job in this industry. The amount of times shes done this to people 🤦🏼♂️”
Another fan directly questioned WWE’s decision-making regarding roster changes while again comparing the situation to Kairi Sane.
“Can WWE fire Nia Jax please??? like how do you let go of Kairi But still employ Nia?? that’s total BS”
Bottom line — Paige getting busted open on SmackDown instantly reignited years of online criticism surrounding Nia Jax and in-ring safety. And after graphic backstage photos surfaced online, the reaction from fans became one of the biggest talking points coming out of the show.
Do you think the backlash toward Nia Jax is justified after Paige’s injury, or are fans overreacting to an unfortunate accident during a chaotic segment? Drop your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.
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