Lina Fanene

Savelina Fanene was born on May 29, 1984, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and later raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is of German and Samoan descent, a second cousin once removed of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Fanene attended Palomar College, where she played college basketball, and graduated from California State University San Marcos in 2005 with a marketing degree. Prior to her career in professional wrestling, she worked as a plus-size model, a role that influenced her later advocacy for body positivity.

Fanene signed with WWE in early 2014, beginning her professional wrestling journey at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. She debuted in May 2015 under the ring name Zada, which was later changed to Nia Jax in August of the same year. Her career in WWE NXT saw her progress through various feuds and title challenges, establishing her as a dominant force in the women’s division. In 2016, she was promoted to the main roster during the WWE Draft, where she established her presence, engaging in rivalries and participating in major pay-per-view events.

A significant turning point in Fanene’s career came in 2018 when she captured the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 34, marking her first title win in WWE. She later held the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship twice with Shayna Baszler, demonstrating her versatility as both a singles and tag team competitor. After a brief hiatus, Fanene returned to WWE in 2023, showcasing renewed focus and skill. In 2024, she won the Queen of the Ring tournament and subsequently secured her second WWE Women’s Championship at SummerSlam, further solidifying her status as a prominent figure in professional wrestling. Her career has also included appearances in video games like the WWE 2K series and reality television shows such as “Total Divas.”