Backstage News On Tiffany Stratton's WWE Women's Title Win

Tiffany Stratton stole the headlines upon Friday Night SmackDown’s move to three hours on the USA Network, finally cashing in her Money In The Bank briefcase and defeating Nia Jax for the WWE Women’s Championship. This came following Jax’s successful title defense against Naomi, helped to a win by both Candice LeRae and Stratton herself. Post-match, Stratton attacked both LeRae and Jax, before hitting the Prettiest Moonsault Ever on a downed Jax. 

When it comes to the cash-in, PWInsider have revealed that this date was forecast well in advance. The January 3 episode of SmackDown, kicking off 2025 for the blue brand, was planned for several weeks but remained a ‘closely guarded secret’ between a select few in WWE, with not many knowing that Stratton’s victory was coming. The idea behind this specific show was due to WWE wanting to have a big moment take place on the USA Network and the expansion to three hours.

Even though Stratton’s win was already planned in advance, there were reportedly several rewrites for this episode of SmackDown, with the opening segment of the show having multiple pitches and changes.