Jade Cargill, who is arguably the most emerging female star in the pro wrestling industry, officially signed with WWE in September 2023 . The former AEW star was rumored to be joining the Triple H-led promotion after not renewing her deal with AEW, and it turned out to be true.
The 31-year-old was a force to be reckoned with in the Jacksonville-based promotion and enjoyed a lot of success. But pro wrestling wasn’t the first sport Big Jade became a part of. Before getting into this industry, she was also a professional basketball player.
Cargill played Division I basketball at Arlington-based Jacksonville University from 2010–14. During her days with the university team, she played a major role in the team’s success. In addition to giving great results to her team, Jade herself achieved a lot in basketball.
Due to the kind of athletic prowess and skills she possessed, Cargill was named to the Atlantic Sun Preseason First Team in her senior year. But she later ventured into pro wrestling and is now a reputed name in the pro wrestling industry.
Jade Cargill’s basketball career statistics
The 5’10 star holds impressive records in her basketball career. She participated the 2010–11 season as a freshman and appeared in 27 games. This year, she got a season-high nine points against in a game, and ended up having a successful start to her Division I basketball career.
In the 2011–12 season, Cargill played a total of 31 games, in which she started in 27 games as a sophomore. During this season, Cargill led her team to success, as she had the highest field-goal percentage (.389) and rebounds (8.3). Big Jade was also ranked second in steals (57) and free-throws made (68).
Additionally, the female star’s total rebound and steal in 2011–12 were the fifth highest in a single season at Jacksonville University. Such records completely justify why she was among the most promising basketball players in her university days. (Via: JUDolphins)
In the following season, Jade started in 26 of the 28 games she played. Her performance in 2012–13 was similar to the previous year, as she led her team in steals (48) as well as rebounds (227). Cargill averaged 10.1 points and 8 boards per game, which shows her excellency in the sport. But she never got to make it to WNBA, as she left basketball.
Jade Cargill left her basketball career for pro wrestling
Despite so much success in her career as a basketball player, Big Jade eventually decided to leave her basketball career for pro wrestling. She started her career in the industry by attending a tryout at the WWE PC in April 2019.
Also Read: Jade Cargill Nationality and Ethnicity: How Did Jade Cargill Get Into Wrestling?
After that, Jade began training, and made her professional debut with All Elite Wrestling on November 11, 2020. After this, it was announced that she had officially signed with Tony Khan’s company. Within two months of her AEW stint, she became the inaugural TBS Champion on January 5, 2022.
The former AEW star continued her run as the Women’s Champion for a total of 508 days. She lost her title to a returning Kris Statlander at the Double or Nothing event on May 28, 2023. This marked the end of her historic run after which she stayed away for a number of months.
The 31-year-old made her long-awaited return to Tony Khan’s company on the September 9 Collision episode. In her last appearance on the Jacksonville-based promotion, Jade lost her title rematch on the September 15 episode of Rampage.
Following this match, she was removed from All Elite Wrestling’s active roster. Just about 10 days after her final AEW match, it was announced that she had been signed by the Triple H-led promotion. This news took the pro wrestling world by storm, and Jade received a great welcome by WWE.