Alba Fyre Praises Nia Jax as WWE Locker Room Leader

Alba Fyre, the performer previously known as Kay Lee Ray, opened up about her early days in WWE and the unexpected role Nia Jax played in helping her settle in, revealing that Jax has become one of the more trusted veterans backstage.

Speaking during a virtual signing for K & S WrestleFest, Fyre looked back on her debut appearance in NXT, where she worked with Jax on the same night Dakota Kai had also faced her. Fyre admitted she walked into the match assuming Jax, as the more established name, would dictate the pace and direction of their outing. Instead, she said Jax flipped the script entirely, telling her, in Fyre’s words, ‘I don’t know. You’re the vet. You tell me,’ leaving Fyre stunned given it was her first assignment with the company.

Fyre said that moment set the tone for how she’d come to view Jax over the years, especially as Jax’s standing within the company grew. She described Jax as someone who has become a genuine locker room leader, someone many of the women on the roster lean on when they need guidance or reassurance. According to Fyre, Jax has often been the one to help other talents find the right way to raise concerns or speak up when they felt hesitant to do so themselves.

The conversation also touched on the criticism Jax regularly receives from fans online, something that has followed her for years regardless of how her character or in-ring standing has evolved. Fyre suggested Jax isn’t immune to that reputation, but rather leans into it at times, essentially owning the persona rather than running from it. Fyre said she understood the appeal of that approach, noting it’s a strategy she’d embrace herself if in the same position.

The remarks offer a rare glimpse into how backstage relationships often diverge sharply from public perception. Jax has long been a polarizing figure with fans, a target of criticism tied to both her character work and her booking over the years, but testimonials like Fyre’s reinforce a narrative that’s become more common in recent seasons: that Jax has matured into a respected veteran presence, particularly for younger or newer talent trying to find their footing.

It’s also a notable moment given Fyre’s own journey. She built her name overseas before joining NXT and eventually becoming NXT Women’s Champion, so her willingness to credit Jax with easing that transition carries weight. Locker room culture rarely gets discussed publicly, and it’s often only in retrospective interviews like this one that fans get insight into who’s actually shaping the environment behind the curtain.

With women’s wrestling continuing to be a focal point of WWE programming, leadership from established veterans matters more than ever in keeping locker rooms cohesive as rosters expand and turnover increases. Stories like Fyre’s suggest Jax has quietly become one of the steadying forces in that room, even as her on-screen reputation with fans remains complicated.

Whether Jax addresses these comments herself remains to be seen, but for now, Fyre’s recollection adds another data point to the ongoing reassessment of her standing among peers.