On the January 3, 2025 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, fans of Tiffany Stratton were rewarded in a huge way. After months of tension, Stratton turned on Nia Jax, cashing in her Money in the Bank contract. She hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever and pinned her former mentor. As a result, Stratton became the new WWE Women’s Champion, officially starting the era of ‘Tiffy Time.’
There are certainly fans who only know her from her time on the main roster, but given her work in NXT, the signs of becoming a champion have been there for a while. Continuing the women’s successful cash-in streak has turned out to be smart for many reasons. Tiffany Stratton is finally a main roster champion, something that has been predicted for a long time, and something that is very-well deserved.
Tiffany Stratton Uses Athletic Background to Her Advantage
Before stepping foot in a WWE ring in 2021, Stratton had never wrestled professionally before. Trained by Greg Gagne, it was actually Stratton’s parents who wanted the former trampoline gymnast to become a wrestler. In 2021, Stratton was the only woman signed to a class of wrestlers entering the Performance Center that year.
Almost from the beginning, people knew she was going to be successful. A random person can’t just walk into a gym and start doing gymnastics. You have to be physically strong, and capable of handling flips and turns with enormous arm and leg strength. Gymnastics and professional wrestling are very similar in that regard. You have to be able to do intense maneuvers using every part of your body with insane accuracy. One tiny slip-up could cost you months of your career or even end it. Given how similar the two sports are, it’s no surprise that Tiffany Stratton has been successful in a short amount of time.
Stratton Doesn’t Shy Away from Big Matches
Not everyone can handle the spotlight, but Tiffany Stratton has always shined when all eyes have been on her. In her relatively short WWE career, Stratton has wrestled in multiple high-profile matches. Some of those include the six-way ladder match at NXT Stand and Deliver, the Iron Survivor Challenge in 2023, the Elimination Chamber, and Money in the Bank in 2024. Given the amount of women involved, it would be easy to assume that she would get lost in the shuffle. Instead, she has shined, giving fans highlight-reel offense and a lot of confidence in her abilities. She even had a feud with Becky Lynch while in NXT. Even though the match ended with her losing the NXT Women’s Championship, it showed fans that she would be fine on the main roster. Winning the Money in the Bank briefcase and having a successful cash-in shows WWE has immense trust in Tiffany Stratton’s ability to be a star on the main roster.
Fighting to Defend Her Title
Now that Stratton has a championship on the main roster, there’s going to be a lot of women coming after her. Logically, Nia Jax is going to want a crack at regaining the title at some point. Perhaps somebody like Charlotte Flair or an NXT call-up wants first dibs as well, making her first defense unpredictable. She has put on some amazing matches so far on the main roster. But now that she’s the champion, she has to elevate her skills to another level. She won the championship, and now she has to keep it. Fans have lots of reasons to believe that she can have a long title reign, as she has had so much success in a short amount of time.
Tiffany Stratton has reached the top of the mountain, and if she can stay there, can show that making her WWE Women’s Champion was a great decision.
Featured Image, Credit: WWE
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