Kelani Jordan wasn’t happy about being overlooked for the WWE NXT Women’s Championship, especially after she had already made history and proven herself in two different promotions. The NXT star says she spent too much time waiting patiently for an opportunity that never seemed to come, and eventually realized that being nice wasn’t getting her anywhere.
During an October 28, 2026 interview with The Wrestling Classic, Jordan discussed how frustrating it became to watch other women receive opportunities while she continued waiting for her shot at the NXT Women’s Championship.
By that point, Jordan had already become the inaugural NXT Women’s North American Champion and captured the TNA Knockouts Championship. Despite those accomplishments, she felt people still weren’t taking her seriously as someone who belonged at the top of the division.
Jordan explained that her original happy-go-lucky personality may have contributed to the problem because people saw her as a likable underdog rather than a legitimate championship threat.
“Yeah, I think people I feel like a lot of times like when you’re all like rainbows and butterflies, people are like, ‘Aw, she’s so cute.’ But they don’t always take you seriously. They may love you in the beginning, but when it’s time to truly get after truly chase like a champion or someone with more equity and more experience, you want to make sure like they’re you’re believable.”
Jordan said she was tired of entering matches as the person nobody expected to win. She believed her accomplishments should have already established her credibility, but she kept finding herself in the same position.
“Like you are actually maybe the underdog, but you on a right day you could win and I think that was kind of I always was like the black What’s it called? The black horse black dark horse in the match and the dark horse and I was like, ‘I’m tired of being the underdog. Like I know what I bring to the table. I just think people I need to change something.’ And that’s when I changed like, you know, no more happy-go-lucky.”
The interviewer then asked Jordan how frustrating it was to accomplish so much without receiving the NXT Women’s Championship match she wanted. Jordan explained that she had been patiently waiting for her turn, only to realize that approach was allowing other people to move ahead of her.
“Yes. It was super frustrating and I’m like, ‘I’ve literally have done all of this and it’s almost like I was patiently waiting my turn.’ And that’s when I realized, ‘Okay, there’s no more being nice and waiting in line because that’s how you get passed by.'”
What frustrated Jordan even more was being placed in situations where she had to compete just to earn another opportunity. She believed her track record should have been enough to justify receiving a direct championship match.
“So, it was very annoying and very frustrating when I never got a chance for the Knockouts Championship. And I know people like to say, ‘Oh, well, you got a chance for a chance.’ I’m like, ‘No, but all I need is the big one. I don’t need a chance for a chance. I just need the chance and I’ll get it done.'”
The interviewer pointed out that Jordan had a history of making the most of her championship opportunities, suggesting that she usually needed only one or two attempts to win a title. Jordan immediately corrected him.
“Tries, one.”
That confidence has become a major part of Jordan’s personality change in WWE. Instead of waiting for management or other wrestlers to recognize her accomplishments, she’s become more aggressive about demanding the opportunities she believes she has already earned.
Jordan eventually captured the NXT Women’s Championship, but it’s clear she hasn’t forgotten how frustrating the journey was. After making history with the North American Championship and winning gold in TNA, she believes she shouldn’t have had to fight so hard just to be considered a serious contender.
Now that Jordan finally has the championship she spent so long chasing, she’s making sure everyone understands why she changed her attitude. Being patient didn’t get her the opportunities she wanted, and she has no intention of going back to the person who kept waiting in line.
Do you think Kelani Jordan deserved an NXT Women’s Championship opportunity much sooner, or was WWE right to make her work her way up despite her previous title wins? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
