Top WWE star ‘wanted to cry’ after brutal moment in breakout match

WWE superstar Tiffany Stratton has remembered being close to tears after suffering her first nasty injury in one of her breakout matches.

The 25-year-old star, who has risen up the ranks on NXT and SmackDown after swapping gymnastics for the wrestling ring, has been learning every side of the business since signing with WWE in the summer of 2021.

She’s seen as one of the company’s brightest prospects, and she exclusively spoke to Metro.co.uk about her breakthrough Extreme Rules match with Becky Lynch at NXT No Mercy just over a year ago.

‘In the moment, I was like, “Oh my God”, when she hit me on the head with her hard hat and busted me open,’ she recalled. ‘That was like, “Oh my gosh, I want to cry right now.” ‘

Stratton – who currently holds the Money In The Bank briefcase and has fans chanting ‘Tiffy Time’ all over the world despite being a heel for most of her time on screen – admitted she was trying to ‘be in the moment’ during the physical bout.

The nerves built up in the hours leading up to the match, but working with a veteran like Lynch made things easier.

‘Becky was amazing. She guided me through, I was very nervous that whole day, just because everything just happened so quick, and I wasn’t ready,’ she said as she reflected on the big day.

‘And then those TVs, they go by so quick and you don’t even realise it, and by the time it was over, I was like, “Oh my gosh, that’s it, that was so easy!” ‘

Stratton – who often finds it ‘very hard to fall asleep after a match’ – admitted ‘nothing can really prepare you’ for getting busted open and hurt like that in the ring, but wrestlers have to ‘trust their instincts’.

‘And you get an adrenaline rush, for sure, and that kind of makes things a lot easier,’ she explained. ‘Other than that, you just have to go out there and trust yourself.’

As well as the physicality of wrestling, Stratton – who is dating fellow wrestler Ludwig Kaiser in real life – is getting used to living life in the spotlight as ‘such a young age’.

‘It’s really cool,’ she smiled. ‘But I feel like there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with it. So I’m trying to be responsible when I’m in public, and not be loud and obnoxious. But I can’t say I’m not grateful for it!’

She has plenty of people helping her out too, including her ‘road mom’ and on-screen ally Nia Jax, who currently holds the WWE Women’s Championship.

‘She’s amazing,’ Stratton said. ‘We both are very goofy, and I think we bring it out in each other even more. I, also, am like her personal stylist. I tell her what to wear, how to do her makeup, so we help each other!’

Stratton is developing as a performer in front of the world, and she’s enjoyed ‘trying to figure it out’ herself, although she noted the impact WWE Hall of Famer ‘Road Dogg’ Brian James has had on her growth, along with ‘so many amazing coaches in NXT’.

‘Before I got on TV, Road Dogg was hyping up my “daddy’s little rich girl” character,’ she said. ‘He was like, “Oh my God, that’s awesome. We have to get you on TV.”‘

While her star is shining bright on SmackDown every week, Stratton is still learning and progressing each time she steps out in front of a live crowd.

‘I’m just doing my best and trying like new things as we go, seeing what works, what doesn’t, what gets reactions,’ she said. ‘Other than that, I’m just doing what I know best, and that’s just being myself, just a little bit turned up.’

SmackDown airs Friday nights at 1am on TNT Sports 1. WWE will be moving to Netflix in January 2024. WWE returns to The O2 in London on November 4.

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