Tiffany Stratton On TIFFY TIME, Rhea Ripley, Ludwig Kaiser, Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Tiffany Stratton On TIFFY TIME, Rhea Ripley, Ludwig Kaiser, Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Tiffany Stratton (@tiffstrattonwwe) is a professional wrestler signed to WWE. She sits down with Chris Van Vliet at a WWE Priority Pass On Location event in Philadelphia during WrestleMania week to talk about her background as a gymnast, her WWE tryout, getting trained by Greg Gagne, how she came up with the name Tiffany Stratton, being inspired by Paris Hilton, her incredible athleticism, how she developed the PME (Prettiest Moonsault Ever), her boyfriend Ludwig Kaiser, making her main roster debut at the Royal Rumble, the loud crowd reaction she got at Elimination Chamber in Perth and much more!
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On her WWE tryout:
“So I’m originally from Prior Lake Minnesota, which is like 20 minutes south of Minneapolis. I was originally a gymnast, so I grew up in the gymnastics world. One day, I was flipping through the channels and I saw Charlotte Flair on SmackDown. And I immediately was like, Who is this woman? She’s jacked. She’s blonde. She looks amazing. She’s doing all these cool flips. And immediately I was just drawn to it. So I went to my nearest wrestling school and I signed up for classes. However, my mom actually had a contact who knew Greg Gagne, who is a wrestling legend. He’s been in the business for a long time. And he agreed to train me and get me a tryout with WWE.”
On what helped her hone her skills:
“I would say gymnastics definitely. It teaches you coordination. It teaches you how to move your body, how to flip, how to roll and I feel like a lot of that is the fundamentals of wrestling. So I kind of picked it up quickly because of gymnastics.”
On the Prettiest Moonsault Ever:
“I did it in like every single one of my routines, it’s like a skill that everybody does in their routines. It’s part of your compulsory routine so I can do it in my sleep.”
On what else comes easy in the ring:
“Obviously being a gymnast I’m not really scared of heights. So going off the top rope is something very easy for me. I’m very good with my air awareness and knowing where I am in the middle of the air. So definitely think that the acrobatic stuff that I do, especially off the top rope, is something that I am very good at.”
On what surprised her about WWE:
“Honestly, there’s a lot of just behind-the-scenes stuff you really don’t know when you’re getting into the business. So I would say going to the Performance Center and the insane schedule that you have, when you first start out, it’s Monday through Friday, you’re training, you’re going to the gym. And then on the weekends, you’re having Coconut [loops], which is basically live wrestling shows in front of fans all around Florida. So you’re constantly going you’re constantly wrestling, and it takes a toll. I’m not gonna lie.”
On dating Ludwig Kaiser:
“So we’ve actually been dating for, it’s gonna be two years in May. So we kind of always knew of each other because we both were at the Performance Center. One day he was out and it was my birthday weekend, and I was out and we actually played rock, paper, scissors and the loser had to ask the person on the date. So he lost and he had to ask me on the date. [What was your first date?] Kres Steakhouse in Orlando.”
On being on separate brands:
“It’s definitely like the last couple of months since I just got called up. It’s been kind of hard. You know, we only get to see each other for a couple of days. But when we do see each other, it means a lot more.”
On debuting on the main roster:
“So I guess I kind of debuted at the Rumble. I didn’t really know that I was making my debut on the main roster, but I had the rumble. Then that Tuesday, I was kind of waiting to hear if I was going to be on NXT that night, and I wasn’t. So I kind of asked them I was like, am I getting called up? And they’re like, Oh, we’re not sure. And then I get a text saying that I have travel for SmackDown. And then I asked am I called up? They’re like, we’re not sure. And then Friday, I got the confirmation that I was being called up and then I had my in-ring debut and the rest is history.”
On the Royal Rumble:
“I was extremely nervous for the Rumble. I just feel like I don’t know, it’s the first time that the main roster fans kind of got to see me. And I was kind of worried nobody’s gonna know who I was, you know, coming from an NXT. It was awesome. I tried to be in the moment and it was a super amazing experience for me.”
On what match cemented her skills in-ring:
“No Mercy in California, I had a match against Becky Lynch, we main evented that PLE. I would say that that match was definitely the one where I kind of cemented myself into okay, she has what it takes. And yeah, that was a transformative day for me as well.”
On Becky Lynch:
“Overall Becky is such a great leader for everybody. And especially for someone who’s kind of just getting their name out there and stuff because she was there. She knows what it’s like to be the rookie and be the one like, nobody knows who you are. So I just think she was so helpful in kind of guiding me through those big matches.”
On the sudden rise of Tiffany Stratton:
“My entire NXT run I feel like everything just happened so fast. I had only trained for eight weeks before even debuting on TV. Yeah, so that was scary. And my first match was atrocious, it was so bad. Then I got taken off TV for a couple of weeks. And I was like, I’m gonna come back better than ever. So I worked really hard. I came back I had my second match against Iyo Sky actually. And it was amazing. And then just I kept learning and I kept getting better with every single rep. And I think they saw that. And yeah, like, the sky’s the limit for me right now.”
Why was that first match so bad?
“Back then I really didn’t know how to work a crowd or even, I didn’t really know who I was in general. You know, it was kind of just thrown out there and, like, told to figure it out a little bit.”
On a dream opponent:
“Obviously, I’m going to have to go with Charlotte Flair. She is the reason why I got into wrestling. She’s my inspiration. I really look up to her. But also Bianca Belair. I think me versus Charlotte versus Bianca would be such a cool matchup. I feel like we all kind of have similar styles in the ring. So I’m really looking forward to those two for sure.”
On her own WrestleMania moment:
“I’ve heard that, or it’s been rumoured that next year’s WrestleMania is going to be in Minnesota. And I’m from Minnesota. So I think, you know, Tiffy Time in my hometown in the main events would be the perfect moment for me in my career.”
On winning the NXT Women’s Championship:
“So that day, I’m trying to remember, I’m pretty sure it was a bit chaotic, which is like every single TV. But I honestly was just so nervous. I actually did not like my gear at all that day. I just didn’t like the fit, I didn’t really like the colour. I don’t know. It’s just when something doesn’t look amazing on you and it’s like a big moment. It’s kind of like, oh, so that was kind of a little downer. But yeah, that day, it was intense. And afterwards, honestly, I had like no feeling like I was numb. I feel like it didn’t hit me until I came back and then I got emotional. It was my longest match I’ve ever had so I was so tired, I was so blown up, I was just exhausted, I hurt my shoulder a little bit. But all in all, it was a great day.”
On where Tiffany Stratton came from:
“So actually, my mom’s name is Tiffany. And Stratton, I honestly don’t know where I got that last name from. I think I heard it on Wolf of Wall Street because the brokerage his name Stratton Oakmont and I think that’s where I heard it. And it just sounded good, so I kind of threw it in there. And then they picked it was actually between Tiffany Stratton and Veronica Swanson. So obviously, I had to go with Tiffany Stratton.”
On the reaction in Australia:
“I was not expecting it at all. I realised that I had a lot of fans behind me at the press conference when they were chanting Tiffy Time before I even came out. So that was kind of like the moment was like, Okay, I think they kind of know me.”
What Tiffany Stratton is grateful for:
“The life that I live, my family and food.”