New Women’s Champion Crowned on First Smackdown of 2025
Tiffany Stratton cemented herself as a breakout star in 2024 and now she starts the new year as the WWE Women’s Champion. Stratton cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase on Nia Jax after Jax retained her title against Naomi. The Prior Lake, MN native continues the undefeated streak of Women’s Money in the Bank cash-ins and it is the first cash-in on Smackdown in nearly six years. Stratton’s victory has now been cemented as the first big moment of 2025.
Stratton has only been wrestling for four years and after three years in NXT, she made her main roster debut last year after a strong performance in the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble. Early on she showed she had the makings of being a big star by getting big ovations from the crowd, an example would be at the 2024 Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event, and her stellar character work. Stratton started a friendship with Jax after the former women’s champion was drafted to Smackdown after WrestleMania XL. Both women went on to win big in the summer of 2024 with Jax winning the Women’s Championship at SummerSlam and Stratton winning the briefcase mentioned above. However, their friendship began to form some cracks towards the end of 2024 after Stratton teased cashing in on Jax and the sudden friendship that Jax formed with Candice LeRae.
However, that all changed on the first Smackdown of 2025 when Stratton helped Jax retain her championship only to blindside her afterward. After Stratton had hit Naomi with the briefcase while LeRae distracted the referee, Jax hit the “Annihilator” to secure the victory. After the match, Stratton wanted Jax to attack Bianca Belair, Naomi’s tag team partner. However, as Jax is about to take out Belair with the Annihilator, Stratton hits her from behind, takes Lerae out, and waits patiently as Belair hits Jax with the KOD. It was easy pickings for Stratton from there as she cashed in her briefcase to become the new women’s champion.
This could be a big year for Stratton as we enter Wrestlemania season. She would face Jax in a rematch as their story is unfinished. The rematch is likely happening at the 2025 Royal Rumble, but after that, there are a plethora of superstars that she could work with. Potential matchups with Belair, Bayley, Becky Lynch, a returning Charlotte Flair perhaps and who knows with the transfer window still open more superstars from Raw and NXT could challenge her for the title. Stratton came in as a future prospect of the WWE’s women’s division, but now she is the present and can show she can be a major player going forward. It is now Stratton’s time excuse me I mean it's Tiffy Time!
