SUMMARY
- Tiffany Stratton, real name Jessica Woynilko, is a well-known name in the professional wrestling industry.
- The 24-year-old in-ring star is a former NXT Champion, and currently performs on Friday Night SmackDown.
Tiffany Stratton is among the most popular female stars in WWE, and her charming personality is a major reason behind it. It is due to her great in-ring work and on-screen presence that the 24-year-old has been able to become a prominent name in the division in just over two years.
Born on May 1, 1999, as Jessica Woynilko, the Minnesota native now performs on SmackDown, as she was called up to the main roster in February 2024. But before she entered the industry, she was into gymnastics and enjoyed a lot of success in her professional career.
As we often hear, most wrestlers spend years training in the squared circle, but Stratton’s gymnast experience helped her make it big in WWE. She acknowledged this during an interview with “Sports Guys Talking Wrestling.” During the conversation, she said, “I think gymnastics has really helped with the mindset that I have today and the view I have on sports and working out, staying disciplined, and stuff like that.” (Via- Wrestling Inc)
In addition to this, the young sensation added that her gymnastics background helped her develop strength, and flexibility, providing her with “all the tools you need to be a great athlete and a great athlete within wrestling.” These comments showcase how valuable that phase was for the pro wrestling star.
Tiffany Stratton’s gymnastics career highlights
As Tiffany admitted that her gymnastics career has played a major role in her WWE success, fans wonder what sort of accomplishments she had. In this regard, it must be noted that the female star actively competed in gymnastics tournaments during her days as a practitioner.
As all gymnasts have their signature apparatus, for Stratton, it was trampoline routines, as she was a pro at them. Due to her mastery and love for the art, the 5-foot-7-tall young gymnast competed in five open tournaments from 2016 to 2017. But after she completed her graduation from St. Catherine University in 2019, she was out of collegiate competitions, and it was also the end of her career as a gymnast.
Why did Tiffany Stratton make a transition to the pro wrestling industry?
Tiffany Stratton was doing well as a gymnast, but her mother believed that she needed a better outlet to channelize her talent. To do so, she decided that her daughter’s skills would be better suited if she made a transition to the pro wrestling industry, and that’s how the female star was born.
Also Read: How Did WWE Couple Tiffany Stratton and Ludwig Kaiser Meet?
In her initial days in the industry, Stratton came in touch with pro wrestling coach Greg Gagne, and under his expertise, Jessica’s skills flourished. Additionally, Ken ‘Mr. Kennedy’ Anderson also helped the youngster during her training phase. After finishing her training, the 5-foot-7 worker appeared for a WWE tryout and was taken in by the Performance Center.
The former NXT Champion started her training on August 30, 2021, and in just three months, she was ready to shine. On November 16, 2021, Stratton made her debut by competing against Amari Miller at 205 Live. But her eventual NXT debut happened on December 28, 2021, after which she never really looked back.
Also Read: Tiffany Stratton Can Not Imagine Her WWE Career Without Her Boyfriend Ludwig Kaiser
Since then, the former gymnast has accomplished a lot in the Stamford-based promotion. After her success on the yellow brand, the 24-year-old was called up to Friday Night SmackDown and had a great showing at her first PLE appearance. With WWE showing a lot of faith in the in-ring star, it remains to be seen what the future holds for her career.