July 28, 2025 • 8 mins
Tiffany Stratton is preparing for one of the most important matches of her career at SUMMERSLAM against JADE CARGILL. We discussed performing in NYC, fan support, her rise from NXT, and more!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ayotapp.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
It's Josh Martinez, a superstar crossover on the iHeartRadio app
and also as the one hundred, New York's number one hit.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Music station with my guest Tiffany Sturratt And what's going on?
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Girl? Nothing much? How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I'm gonna be very honest. I am in an Airbnb
in Orlando. I'm on a few hours of sleep. But
when it comes to a WW Woman's champ talking about
all things SummerSlam in the motherland of New York and
New Jersey, we make time for it.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Heck yeah, I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
So let me say, I'm gonna be honest with you. Right,
I'm born and raised in New York City. I lived
in Des Moines, Iowa. So I felt negative forty degrees
before windshow. You're from Minnesota, you am have felt older,
but you did time in Florida as well.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
This humidity, this weather is no joke. Girl.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
How does a girl from Minnesota adapt to the Florida weather?
Because I'm dying slowly?
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Yeah, I mean I grew up in like negative thirty weather.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
My entire life, and I hated it.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
I hated every single minute of it, and I could
not wait to get out of Minnesota. I just didn't
know what was gonna take me out of it, and
thank god it was wrestling.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
And I love the humidity that is like where I thrive.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
I do not mind it at all. I love sweating.
I love working out in the heat. So I love Florida,
So don't talk crap about.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Her that I love sweating while working out. Walking through
SeaWorld and just dripping not so much.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Fun for me.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Girl, Yeah, I don't mind it.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
So as we said before, you know, right outside of
New York City met Life Stadium. How different is it
performing in New York City compared to a lot of
other cities in the world.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
I feel like there is so much history in New York.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
There was the first ever Summer Slam hosted in New
York City at Madison Square Garden. So I just feel
like the wrestling fans there are also they're smart wrestling fans,
and I feel like they get into everything, like every
single little you know, one liner you drop, every single move,
like they're there for everything. There's some of the best
(01:56):
wrestling fans in the world, so I think it's just
the fans.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
That make it super special there, and also the history.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
So fans play such a crucial role in every performance success.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
How important have they been to you starting off from
NXT all the way to today.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
So I started in NXT and I actually debuted in
front of like that NXT crowd, so I never really
got to experience like a true like you know, wrestling crowd,
and the wrestling crowd at the PC is super like they're.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Forgiving and stuff.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
So I've always had such a good experience with fans.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Fans have always you know.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
They've always cheered me on, and especially this past year.
I think it was Australia that kind of changed like
the trajectory of everything for me. The fans were super
behind me, and ever since Australia, the fans have just
been so behind me, there behind me on the WrestleMania
build and everything.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
So I love our fans.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
I think they're they're some of the best fans, the
fan base in the world.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
So with SummerSlam coming up August, second and third met
Life Stadium, You've performed at WrestleMania, You're performing in SummerSlam.
What coaches or trainers have given you the best advice
or helped you the most going into these high profile
matches to make sure that you're ready.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
So I actually have had a couple different coaches.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
I've had people like Sierra Motto fit Finley.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I also had this coach.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
His name was Aj Winkler, and he was also a
wrestler on the Indies and he actually helped me a lot,
like through figure out my character and character moments and
helping me with like different kinds of moves and my
moveset So I've had so many different coaches, and I
think just taking something from every single.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
One of them is kind of what I've done with
my career. We have literally like ten to fifteen.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Different coaches at the Performance Center, and they all bring
something different to the table. So I think the Performance
Center has really kind of set me apart from everybody
else that didn't really.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Come from there.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
So growing up outside of Minneapolis, I know you have
good taste. So you grew up listening to Katie w B.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
I know that I.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Did.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
So you're a pop Girlly, if you needed to choose
any pop song to be your.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Entrance theme song, what would you choose?
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Ooh, Honestly, I feel like something by Britney Spears would
be a really cool idea. I feel like she has
so many good songs that could be entrance music or
like a theme for like a TV show, maybe like
Piece of Me by Britney Spears. I think that would
be super iconic, or something by like Lady Gaga. She
(04:37):
has some really cool like amping up music, So probably
one of those two.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
If you have to road trip from Florida to New
Jersey with three people, who would you choose.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
To be stuck in the car with you for that ride?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
From the roster? Yeah, I think I would choose Naya
Jacks for sure.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
I know we're kind of enemies, but I think she
has such a great personality.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
She's so funny, Nya Jacks.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Bailey Bailey is also so fun and honestly, I actually
have been stuck in a car with all these people.
We've been on live shows together, We've spent like hours
on end in a bus together.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
So so Bailey, Naya and probably Naomi.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
All three of those girls together are just so fun
and it's like the og like SmackDown crew from when
Because last year we went on so many different international
tours and it was always us three together, so we
really bonded this past year.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
What is something that most fans still don't know about.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Tiffany Stretton, Ooh, that's a really good question. I'm not
as much of a girly girl as it kind of
may seem like.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
I kind of just lived my days going to the gym,
eating and sleeping. That's really about it.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
You lived the life of a really in shape cat
just eat, sleep.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
And work out.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Yeah, that's about it. I'm not a very girly girl
right now.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
So going into a big match, I'm sure the diet
changes just a little bit. After Summer Slam weekend. What
is like your first postmatch cheat meal?
Speaker 4 (06:15):
It kind of like varies from all different kinds of things.
So lately I've been really liking pizza. I've never been
a pizza girl.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I'm usually like a burger I love McDonald's. I don't
know what.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
They put in their burgers, but I always have a
quarter pounder with Max sauce. Their Max sauce is amazing,
It's so good. But lately I've been really liking pizza.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
And you know what, ain't no better pizza than in
New York City.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Girl, That's so true. Very good timing on.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
That, you know what.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Getting into summer Slam after you're done, just hawking down
a few slices. We love to see it before we
wrap things up. Obviously, confidence is key to all forms
of us, including what you do for a living. But
those times of self doubt kind of creep into your
head because you're a human being.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
What do you do to kind of get through that
self doubt?
Speaker 4 (06:59):
I think the past three four years kind of give me,
you know, assurance, reassurance, and you know they it gives
me like a good like something to.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Fall back on.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
You know, you have accomplished so much in the past
four years, and I've only been in the business for
four years, so it's kind of a little bit scary
for me, Like going into SummerSlam. It's my first ever
Summer Slam and it's for the first ever two nights
Summer Slam. So going into SummerSlam, it's it's hard, like
it's I'm gonna doubt myself.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
But the past four years I've been so successful.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
I've delivered on all of my matches, so it's gonna
I'm just gonna go in knowing that I have the
confidence of the last four years and just be confident
in my abilities.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
And I'm gonna retain my w W Women's Championship.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
So you guys were taking over New York, New Jersey Friday, Saturday, Sunday,
August first through the fourth SmackDown, two nights of Summer Slam,
one night of Raw.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
You're gonna be a huge part of that.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
My final question, what is one thing that you would
tell high school you looking back.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
Now, I think I would just tell myself to stop
worrying about the future because I felt like I really
didn't know what I wanted to do with my life
back in high school, which a lot of people feel
like that.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
So just like not worrying and just kind of being
in the moment.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
And you know, going through gymnastics, I always was worried, like,
oh my god, my next competition, Like I don't know
if I'm ready, like stuff like that. So I would
just tell myself to be in the moment and appreciate.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Where you are in life.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
And you're a good example of why I'm putting my
two year old daughter into gymnastics.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
By the way, one more time, I appreciate you, girl,
Thank you so much for having me
Ayotapp.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
It's Josh Martinez, a superstar crossover on the iHeartRadio app
and also as the one hundred, New York's number one hit.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Music station with my guest Tiffany Sturratt And what's going on?
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Girl? Nothing much? How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I'm gonna be very honest. I am in an Airbnb
in Orlando. I'm on a few hours of sleep. But
when it comes to a WW Woman's champ talking about
all things SummerSlam in the motherland of New York and
New Jersey, we make time for it.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Heck yeah, I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
So let me say, I'm gonna be honest with you. Right,
I'm born and raised in New York City. I lived
in Des Moines, Iowa. So I felt negative forty degrees
before windshow. You're from Minnesota, you am have felt older,
but you did time in Florida as well.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
This humidity, this weather is no joke. Girl.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
How does a girl from Minnesota adapt to the Florida weather?
Because I'm dying slowly?
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Yeah, I mean I grew up in like negative thirty weather.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
My entire life, and I hated it.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
I hated every single minute of it, and I could
not wait to get out of Minnesota. I just didn't
know what was gonna take me out of it, and
thank god it was wrestling.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
And I love the humidity that is like where I thrive.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
I do not mind it at all. I love sweating.
I love working out in the heat. So I love Florida,
So don't talk crap about.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Her that I love sweating while working out. Walking through
SeaWorld and just dripping not so much.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Fun for me.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Girl, Yeah, I don't mind it.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
So as we said before, you know, right outside of
New York City met Life Stadium. How different is it
performing in New York City compared to a lot of
other cities in the world.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
I feel like there is so much history in New York.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
There was the first ever Summer Slam hosted in New
York City at Madison Square Garden. So I just feel
like the wrestling fans there are also they're smart wrestling fans,
and I feel like they get into everything, like every
single little you know, one liner you drop, every single move,
like they're there for everything. There's some of the best
(01:56):
wrestling fans in the world, so I think it's just
the fans.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
That make it super special there, and also the history.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
So fans play such a crucial role in every performance success.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
How important have they been to you starting off from
NXT all the way to today.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
So I started in NXT and I actually debuted in
front of like that NXT crowd, so I never really
got to experience like a true like you know, wrestling crowd,
and the wrestling crowd at the PC is super like they're.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Forgiving and stuff.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
So I've always had such a good experience with fans.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Fans have always you know.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
They've always cheered me on, and especially this past year.
I think it was Australia that kind of changed like
the trajectory of everything for me. The fans were super
behind me, and ever since Australia, the fans have just
been so behind me, there behind me on the WrestleMania
build and everything.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
So I love our fans.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
I think they're they're some of the best fans, the
fan base in the world.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
So with SummerSlam coming up August, second and third met
Life Stadium, You've performed at WrestleMania, You're performing in SummerSlam.
What coaches or trainers have given you the best advice
or helped you the most going into these high profile
matches to make sure that you're ready.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
So I actually have had a couple different coaches.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
I've had people like Sierra Motto fit Finley.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I also had this coach.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
His name was Aj Winkler, and he was also a
wrestler on the Indies and he actually helped me a lot,
like through figure out my character and character moments and
helping me with like different kinds of moves and my
moveset So I've had so many different coaches, and I
think just taking something from every single.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
One of them is kind of what I've done with
my career. We have literally like ten to fifteen.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Different coaches at the Performance Center, and they all bring
something different to the table. So I think the Performance
Center has really kind of set me apart from everybody
else that didn't really.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Come from there.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
So growing up outside of Minneapolis, I know you have
good taste. So you grew up listening to Katie w B.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
I know that I.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Did.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
So you're a pop Girlly, if you needed to choose
any pop song to be your.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Entrance theme song, what would you choose?
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Ooh, Honestly, I feel like something by Britney Spears would
be a really cool idea. I feel like she has
so many good songs that could be entrance music or
like a theme for like a TV show, maybe like
Piece of Me by Britney Spears. I think that would
be super iconic, or something by like Lady Gaga. She
(04:37):
has some really cool like amping up music, So probably
one of those two.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
If you have to road trip from Florida to New
Jersey with three people, who would you choose.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
To be stuck in the car with you for that ride?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
From the roster? Yeah, I think I would choose Naya
Jacks for sure.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
I know we're kind of enemies, but I think she
has such a great personality.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
She's so funny, Nya Jacks.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Bailey Bailey is also so fun and honestly, I actually
have been stuck in a car with all these people.
We've been on live shows together, We've spent like hours
on end in a bus together.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
So so Bailey, Naya and probably Naomi.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
All three of those girls together are just so fun
and it's like the og like SmackDown crew from when
Because last year we went on so many different international
tours and it was always us three together, so we
really bonded this past year.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
What is something that most fans still don't know about.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Tiffany Stretton, Ooh, that's a really good question. I'm not
as much of a girly girl as it kind of
may seem like.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
I kind of just lived my days going to the gym,
eating and sleeping. That's really about it.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
You lived the life of a really in shape cat
just eat, sleep.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
And work out.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Yeah, that's about it. I'm not a very girly girl
right now.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
So going into a big match, I'm sure the diet
changes just a little bit. After Summer Slam weekend. What
is like your first postmatch cheat meal?
Speaker 4 (06:15):
It kind of like varies from all different kinds of things.
So lately I've been really liking pizza. I've never been
a pizza girl.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I'm usually like a burger I love McDonald's. I don't
know what.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
They put in their burgers, but I always have a
quarter pounder with Max sauce. Their Max sauce is amazing,
It's so good. But lately I've been really liking pizza.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
And you know what, ain't no better pizza than in
New York City.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Girl, That's so true. Very good timing on.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
That, you know what.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Getting into summer Slam after you're done, just hawking down
a few slices. We love to see it before we
wrap things up. Obviously, confidence is key to all forms
of us, including what you do for a living. But
those times of self doubt kind of creep into your
head because you're a human being.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
What do you do to kind of get through that
self doubt?
Speaker 4 (06:59):
I think the past three four years kind of give me,
you know, assurance, reassurance, and you know they it gives
me like a good like something to.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Fall back on.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
You know, you have accomplished so much in the past
four years, and I've only been in the business for
four years, so it's kind of a little bit scary
for me, Like going into SummerSlam. It's my first ever
Summer Slam and it's for the first ever two nights
Summer Slam. So going into SummerSlam, it's it's hard, like
it's I'm gonna doubt myself.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
But the past four years I've been so successful.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
I've delivered on all of my matches, so it's gonna
I'm just gonna go in knowing that I have the
confidence of the last four years and just be confident
in my abilities.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
And I'm gonna retain my w W Women's Championship.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
So you guys were taking over New York, New Jersey Friday, Saturday, Sunday,
August first through the fourth SmackDown, two nights of Summer Slam,
one night of Raw.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
You're gonna be a huge part of that.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
My final question, what is one thing that you would
tell high school you looking back.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
Now, I think I would just tell myself to stop
worrying about the future because I felt like I really
didn't know what I wanted to do with my life
back in high school, which a lot of people feel
like that.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
So just like not worrying and just kind of being
in the moment.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
And you know, going through gymnastics, I always was worried, like,
oh my god, my next competition, Like I don't know
if I'm ready, like stuff like that. So I would
just tell myself to be in the moment and appreciate.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Where you are in life.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
And you're a good example of why I'm putting my
two year old daughter into gymnastics.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
By the way, one more time, I appreciate you, girl,
Thank you so much for having me
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