Tiffany Stratton is in her inaugural reign as the WWE Women Champion and has just earned another milestone victory to her name. She defeated Jade Cargill, the first singles loss of the powerhouse in the company, at WWE SummerSlam.
Tiffany Stratton’s Championship Journey
The road to the top of Stratton started early this year where she cashed her Money in the Bank contract against Nia Jax during the January 3 episode of SmackDown. The win saw her becoming a big name in WWE, winning Women Championship.
She has since then defended her gold against other top profile rivals, such as Charlotte Flair in WrestleMania. All the defense has cemented her status, and SummerSlam was the greatest test that most of the fans thought Summer would have against the formidable Jade Cargill.
WWE SummerSlam Match With Jade Cargill
The SummerSlam clash between Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill was billed as a showdown between two of WWE’s fastest-rising stars. Though most people anticipated a long fight, Stratton upset the audience by knocking out Cargill within seven and a half minutes.
Speaking on The Babyfaces Podcast, Stratton has responded to the backlash of the length and story of the match.
“I feel like we didn’t have this like insane life or death story going into SummerSlam, so I didn’t really feel like we needed – like you said – an insane 40-minute long match,” Stratton told the podcast. “I thought it was a very competitive match, it was very fast. And I think that’s all we really needed. So I’m actually really pleased with how my match went at SummerSlam with Jade Cargill.”
Her remarks indicated that although the match was not lengthy, it played out its role in presenting a quick and effective story.
Jade Cargill’s Rise Before SummerSlam
Jade Cargill debuted in WWE amid a lot of hype after her run in AEW. She shocked everyone by debuting in the 2024 Women Royal Rumble match and she turned out to be one of the most discussed WWE signings.
By 2025, she was at war with Naomi and that characterised her initial year on the roster. Cargill scored big time matches, including those against Naomi in WrestleMania and at Evolution. Her crowning achievement was when she won the Queen of the Ring tournament and this won her a title shot at SummerSlam.
However, the impetus was not enough to avert Tiffany Stratton who used the platform to consolidate her stature as champion.
Tiffany Stratton Reflects on SummerSlam
Although the triumph was very convincing, Stratton acknowledged that the event was a very heavy burden on her shoulders, considering that it was her first time in the company summer extravaganza.
“Going into SummerSlam, I was so nervous. It was my first SummerSlam ever,” Stratton said. “So that alone was just so nerve-wracking. But, thankfully, I pulled through and I beat Little Miss Jade Cargill.”
In between her win, another highlight on the card saw Naomi beat Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley to retain her WWE Women World Championship in a triple threat match. That match took almost 17 minutes which was a sharp contrast to the shorter match by Stratton. Naomi kept the belt but later gave it up when she announced that she was pregnant.
To Stratton, however, the lesson of SummerSlam was obvious- she could handle the heat, shut down critics, and hold on to her title, even against an aggressive upstart like Jade Cargill.
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