WWE Grand Slam champion breaks silence after disappointing title match loss on SmackDown
A multi-time WWE Women's Champion had a golden chance to pad up her resume on SmackDown but it wasn't meant to happen.
Follow Us
SmackDown [via- WWE]
This week’s SmackDown was headlined by women. Newly-crowned champion Tiffany Stratton made her first title defense against Bayley. In a match where Stratton’s high-flying prowess was the difference maker, she ended up retaining her gold. Tiffy’s reign couldn’t have started off on a higher note than pinning a notable horsewoman of WWE. The latter took to X and acknowledged the champ.
Bayley came up with a “Touche” remark for Stratton, offering a handshake to The Buff Barbie for her breathtaking display. Bayley had an added motivation for taking out Tiffany on Friday night. Because if it wasn’t for the 25-year-old, The Role Model would’ve never dropped the women’s title to Nia Jax at SummerSlam. A run-in from Stratton caused the distraction, which was enough to halt Bayley’s dream run.
In the following months, the 37-year-old tried to out-hit Jax. However, Stratton was always there for her then-queen and made life extremely difficult for The Role Model. But as Nia started to incur some losses in non-title bouts, she grew insolent. The Irresistible Force would look down on her so-called bestie, Tiffy, every now and then.
Touché @tiffstrattonwwe
Bayley via X
The Center of the Universe even tried her luck by teasing multiple MITB cash-ins on Jax but failed. Finally, on the first SmackDown of 2025, the erstwhile US gymnast made her move. She kept everyone in the dark about her whereabouts until the end of the show.
Jax was defending her title against Naomi. As both women were grounded, Stratton’s music hit. And what followed is history; actually, it’d be amiss to not call it “Tiff-story,” as Stratton herself coined the term. Merely two weeks into that history-making moment, Stratton finds herself at the “Tiffy Top.”
What else went down on SmackDown?
The fans witnessed a significant amount of storyline advancement across various feuds on SmackDown. First off, San Diego’s own Rey Mysterio declared himself for the men’s Royal Rumble match. Later on, he lost to Kevin Owens in a first-time-ever matchup. Afterwards, KO had a pull-apart brawl with Cody Rhodes.
The HOF’er daughter, Aliyah, was also ringside for the show. As far as The Bloodline’s saga is concerned, Solo Sikoa offered no explanation after dropping the Ula Fala to Roman Reigns. Instead, Jacob Fatu went off on the mic and claimed he’s just getting started.
LA Knight and Braun Strowman came out one after another to stand tall eventually. In other matches, Naomi and Bianca Belair defeated Nia Jax and Candice LeRae. Piper Niven took good care of B-Fab, after which Michin came out to make the save from a 2-on-1 onslaught orchestrated by Chelsea Green.
Related: Two-time Women’s Champion makes first appearance on WWE programming in 1448 days on SmackDown
Stay Updated!
Vibhor Pal
(2481 Articles Published)