WWE Star Tiffany Stratton on Becoming a ‘Total Diva,’ Hollywood Dreams & Taking No Prisoners
Q&A
It’s Tiffy Time on WWE NXT with Tiffany Stratton reigning as women’s champion. She exudes confidence every time she walks to the ring as those flashbulbs go off. The blonde bombshell secured the gold in the finals of a tournament against Lyra Valkyria at Battleground.
Stratton may have the pretty-in-pink Barbie exterior, but the 24-year-old has proven to be more than just looks. The title holder looks to show up and show out once more on another premium live event when she defends against Chase U’s resident firecracker Thea Hail. Ahead of the big defense, Stratton reflects on her journey to the ‘Tiffy Top’ of NXT.
What has the transition to champion been like?
Tiffany Stratton: The transition has been pretty easy. Every single week I prove myself and show everybody I am worthy of being the champion. I enjoy it a lot.
What’s the state of the women’s division right now? I feel we are in a true youth movement at NXT.
I think we have a really good women’s division at NXT. I think it’s one of the better ones compared to Raw and SmackDown. At NXT I feel we have such a spotlight for the women. I definitely feel on Raw and SmackDown it’s not as much of the spotlight for the women. We have a lot of young talent. Thea Hail, for instance, is only 19 years old. Roxanne Perez, who is basically 21. Cora Jade, 22. I definitely think there is a lot of future within the NXT women’s division. I can definitely see a lot of the girls taking over within the next three or four years on Raw and SmackDown.
WWE
By the same token, we’ve seen Natalya, Rhea Ripley, and Dana Brooke on NXT. What are your thoughts on women from Raw and SmackDown paying a visit and bringing a veteran presence?
I definitely feel like it’s not needed. I feel like NXT should just be for the girls in NXT and the NXT division. But it does help a lot to have someone like Rhea Ripley come down, Dana Brooke, Nattie Neidhart to help the NXT girls and guide them through things and help establish them better. I do think it’s a big help though.
You mentioned the impact Charlotte Flair had on you getting into the business. She congratulated you after winning the championship. Do you talk often?
Charlotte and I actually talked a couple of times. She has been a huge help to me. I can go to her for a lot of things. She gave me guidance through all of this crazy stuff, especially because I’m so new to all of this. She has been a huge help…There have been times I’ve doubted myself. Everyone goes through that. Charlotte reminds me I’m doing everything right. That I’m so young and it’s okay to make mistakes and learn from them. I made mistakes already being a champion. But I learn from them right away. I’m so new to this. I’m so young and will grow with the title to hopefully be one of the best champions NXT has ever seen.
Total Divas premiered 10 years ago this month. Were you a fan? If they ever brought it back, would you be interested in being part of the cast?
Absolutely! I would have loved to be on Total Divas. That show was the first thing I watched before getting signed by WWE. I watched every single episode probably about four times. I didn’t even watch wrestling yet, but I watched Total Divas. I would love to be on that show if they brought it back. There isn’t as much drama now, but I loved that show.
As your star grows, so does interest in your personal life. Your relationship with Ludwig Kaiser is out there now. Now you have to worry about being in a public setting surrounded by camera phones and people having opioids about everything. How has it been juggling all that?
I still try to keep my private life private. But I’ve always behaved like a champion, even before I became a champion. I know how to act in public. It wasn’t like I had to change how I acted within the public eye. I was always very put together and never got drunk at a club and was acting crazy. So I’ve been able to avoid that.
Many in the industry have been building their brand outside the ring through OnlyFans or Twitch and the like. Have you ever thought about getting into any of those ventures, before WWE or now?
I don’t know about OnlyFans. I don’t think I would do that. I’m not much of a Twitcher. I don’t know what that is, to be honest. I do love TikTok. I would love to take TikTok more seriously and post on there more often and show people a day in the life or get ready with me while I do makeup. I’m not much that Twitch, video game, comic book type person.
Where do you stand on Team Barbie or Team Oppenheimer?
I think you already know what team I’m on.
Is there anything people might be surprised to know about you?
I used to be a bodybuilder. I did one show and won the entire thing. I used to do CrossFit. I feel like people are surprised at that. They look at me and think pretty blonde. I was an elite gymnast. I was on the national team. I just think people look at me and forgot what I did before coming into wrestling.
Tiffany Stratton/WWE
Any Hollywood aspirations?
I would love to go into acting. My dream role would be some cool action superhero girl that does cool flips. That’s my dream role. Like a Wonder Woman. I’m a big fan of her. I was dressed as her for Halloween one year.
Is there a show you like watching or have binged recently?
I actually just watched Squid Game. I know I’m late on the squid bandwagon, but it was good. I was not expecting it to be that good. I was completely shocked at the ending. It was amazing.
You have Thea Hail coming up at the Great American Bash in a submission match. Do you feel you still have something to prove?
I definitely feel like I have a chip on my shoulder. I feel people look at me and see just another blonde that looks pretty. I always deliver in the ring. I take wrestling very seriously. I take these premium live events very seriously. I also think Thea Hail is a little too young in my opinion to even be considered the next NXT Champion. She has been coddled and babied during her entire WWE career. with this Chase Univesity thing. She is not ready to be a champion. I don’t think she has the experience. She can’t stand on her own and is flat-out too young.
Who do you look toward next? Maybe on Raw or SmackDown?
The obvious pick would be Charlotte Flair. That would be a dream match of mine. I would love to go and have a match with her. I think we would have amazing chemistry. Also, Bianca Belair with her and I’s styles being very similar. I also think we would have a banger match.
WWE NXT, Tuesdays, 8/7c, USA Network
WWE Great American Bash, 8/7c, July 30, Peacock
