Tiffany Stratton Had Different Dream Before Becoming WWE Star

Tiffany Stratton wanted to go to the Olympics.

After signing with WWE in 2021, Tiffany Stratton enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks that saw her win the NXT Women’s Championship, Money In The Bank contract, and Women’s Title all by mid-January 2025.

However, wrestling wasn’t originally part of her game plan.

In a new interview with Sidewalks Entertainment, Stratton explained that she wanted to go to the Olympics as a gymnast, but injuries forced her to change careers.

“So, yes, I was a gymnast basically my entire life. I grew up doing gymnastics. I wanted to go to the Olympics. That was like my ultimate goal. However, injuries and stuff like that kind of had me fall short of that. So eventually I had to quit gymnastics. It was very sad. Then I took up CrossFit and then I did bodybuilding for a little bit.

I kind of was- I wanted to do something a little bit more competitive, and I saw wrestling on Instagram, and my mom and I too were scrolling through the channels, and SmackDown was on. My mom had mentioned, like, ‘that’s totally something I can see you doing, ’ I was like, ‘yeah, whatever, mom, it’s fine.’

Then eventually I was like, ‘You know what, I’m gonna give it a go.’ So I looked up my nearest pro wrestling school, and it was Mr. Kennedy’s. I signed up for classes. Then my mom actually got in contact with Greg Gagne, who is an old wrestler for WWE. He agreed to train me and help me get a tryout. Then I tried out and they signed me a week later and I went through the whole system.

I was in NXT for a little bit. I was there for about two years. Then I got called up around the Royal Rumble two years ago. Then eventually I won Money In The Bank and I cashed in and I became the WWE Women’s Champion, and here we are.”

Tiffany Stratton Set For Crown Jewel Clash

After beating Jade Cargill and Nia Jax in a match marred by a mis-timed finish and a nasty head injury to Cargill, Tiffany Stratton will now meet Stephanie Vaquer at Crown Jewel.

In a match pitting the Women’s Champion against the Women’s World Champion, the winner will earn the Crown Jewel Championship. That title was won by Liv Morgan in 2024.

On the men’s side, World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins will meet Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

The show will also feature one of John Cena’s final matches when he takes on former rival AJ Styles. In the days after the announcement, Styles revealed that he will also retire in 2026 after one last WrestleMania.

H/t to Fightful