Tiffany Stratton retained the WWE Women's Championship at last April's WrestleMania in a match many expected Charlotte Flair to win. Her dominance continued throughout the summer, but came to a sudden end at the hands of Jade Cargill in November.
At Saturday Night's Main Event, Cargill squashed Stratton in a bout that ran just shy of 6 minutes. Bizarrely, WWE hasn't done that much with Cargill since, though the former AEW star has inadvertently injured at least a couple of opponents at non-televised WWE Live events.
Many fans have questioned Stratton's continued absence from the ring, and we have an update from Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
He reports that Stratton is injured. However, it's unclear whether she suffered the injury in the match with Cargill or was already working hurt (which might explain why the match was so short).
Other recent reports have suggested that the former WWE Women's Champion will return at the Royal Rumble PLE in Saudi Arabia at the end of this month. As of now, it doesn't look like there are plans for Stratton to demand a rematch from Cargill.
"Immediately when I got called up, I was so nervous," Stratton said of her main roster arrival in 2024. "I didn't know any of the girls in the locker room. I was never in front of big audiences. I was always in front of the same 5200 people at NXT. So, definitely, the bigger audiences, the different states, the different crowds every week, it definitely kind of threw me off for a second."
"I had to be like, 'Okay. You have to adjust to this. It's more pressure.' But as I go, I've been getting so much more comfortable," she continued. "My confidence is there now. I don't second guess myself anymore. I just go out and be Tiffany Stratton."
We're sure WWE has big plans for Stratton, especially as she was undefeated for a long time as champion. She also held the Money in the Bank briefcase for a time—which Stratton eventually cashed in successfully on Nia Jax—and will surely be a big part of whatever WWE has planned for this year's WrestleMania in Las Vegas.
During her time away from the ring, Stratton has definitely been keeping in shape...