Tiffany Stratton has taken the WWE world by storm after her run at NXT and current reign as Smackdown Women’s Champion. Let’s take a look at her journey.
Journey From Gymnast To WWE
Jessica Woyniko, aka Tiffany Stratton, started as a gymnast before an injury changed her career path. During her gymnastics career, she specialized in trampoline and tumbling fields and has accomplished several accolades. In 2016, she became a mini-double bronze winner in the U.S. National Gymnastics Championship and competed internationally in the 2017 Canada Cup. Woyniko has also competed in numerous bodybuilding competitions. After moving from gymnastics, she set her sights on WWE, where Tiffany Stratton was born.
Stratton signed with WWE in August 2021 and then trained at the performance center in Orlando, Florida, before debuting on NXT in November. She defeated Amari Miller in her first bout before turning heel in a segment for NXT in December. Stratton worked her craft and became one of the biggest stars on NXT. She won the Women’s NXT Championship on May 28 and held the title for 107 days before losing it to Becky Lynch. She failed to regain the title during an Extreme Rules match at NXT No Mercy.
Stratton debuted at the 2023 Royal Rumble in the Women’s Royal Rumble match, where she lasted six minutes before being eliminated by Bayley and finishing fourth. Stratton signed officially with Smackdown on the February 2 episode, where she slapped fellow Smackdown wrestler Michin, leading to her first singles match defeating Michin. Stratton went on to compete in some big matches throughout 2023, including the Women’s Elimination Chamber match, a triple-threat match for the Women’s Championship at Backlash France, and the Women’s Money In The Bank match.
The Money In The Bank match is a marquee match in which the ladder match winner wins a briefcase with a championship contract to use anytime. On July 6, she won the Women’s Money In The Bank match. At that time, her friend Nia Jax was the Women’s Champion, creating tension between the two; Jax did not know when and where Stratton would cash in her briefcase for a championship title.
On January 3, 2025, the Smackdown main event was Naomi challenging Nia Jax for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. Stratton, who was part of Jax’s alliance, was nowhere to be found throughout the night until she ran out to cash in her briefcase during the match. What looked like a cash-in was a ruse, as she hit challenger Naomi with the briefcase, aiding in Jax winning. As Jax and Stratton celebrated, she hit Jax with the briefcase, betraying her and cashing in her contract, where she successfully won her first championship in major WWE.
She has had two successful title defense matches during her tenure as Smackdown Women’s Champion. Her first title defense was against Bayley on January 18, and her second was against her old friend, now nemesis, Nia Jax, on February 14. She won that match via disqualification when Candace LaRae attacked her. She then got attacked by Nia Jax and LaRae before WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus came to Stratton’s aid, setting up a tag team match between the two teams at the Elimination Chamber on March 1.
Stratton will be a force in the women’s division for a long time. Her athletic gymnastic ability allows her to do moves no one else can, entertaining fans. In one year on the Smackdown roster, she has won a championship and faced some of the best in the women’s division. Her most challenging task is still to come when she faces returning champion and superstar Charlotte Flair at Wrestlemania for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. With her rise to the top, she has proven that it is, in fact, Tiffy time.
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