Add as a preferred source on Google Tiffany Stratton is enjoying a stretch of greater creative freedom in WWE, especially since leaving NXT and settling in as a full-time member of the SmackDown roster.
In a recent interview with KFAN, the current Women’s United States Champion talked about the difference between working on the developmental brand and the main roster, pointing to the way Shawn Michaels runs NXT.
“I feel in NXT, things are very, very produced and everything’s talked about. Shawn Michaels really wants things from A to B to C. So when you come from NXT, you’re so used to having people tell you what to do, where on SmackDown and Raw you have a little bit more free will.
“You kind of get to decide what moves you want to do in the ring, what story you want to tell in the ring, it’s kind of up to you. I feel like you get put in a sink or swim situation, so you have to battle it out for yourself, which I like because I’m very motivated and like to keep things fresh.
“So to be able to be in charge of my own destiny, I like that a lot.”
Stratton’s comments stand out because they echo something Michaels himself has explained in past interviews. According to him, NXT serves as preparation for Raw and SmackDown, with the goal of getting talent ready before their promotion to the main roster.
In Stratton’s case, that transition happened fairly quickly. After a standout run in NXT, where she won the NXT Women’s Championship, she was called up to the main roster in 2024, won the women’s Money in the Bank that same year, and later became WWE Women’s Champion.
Stratton currently holds the Women’s United States Championship, having won the title on SmackDown after WrestleMania 42, when she defeated Giulia.