The Storm Without the Rain: Fixing Jade Cargill and her WWE Women’s Title Run

It has been 76 days since Jade Cargill captured the WWE Women’s Championship in dominant fashion, defeating Tiffany Stratton at Saturday Night’s Main Event on November 1, 2025. Despite her commanding victory, Cargill has yet to defend the title, and with no clear challenger on the horizon, her reign remains in a state of limbo.

To prove just how badly WWE creative has mismanaged Cargill’s title reign so far, consider what has transpired while her defense count remains at zero: John Cena won the Intercontinental Championship, lost it, and retired; Carmelo Hayes captured the United States Championship and has defended it twice already; and Drew McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes in a grueling 3 Stages of Hell match to take the Undisputed WWE Championship. Cargill’s pacing isn’t just slow – it’s stagnant.

It is important to note that the lifeless nature of this title run shouldn’t fall on Cargill’s shoulders. She has demonstrated immense potential since the beginning of her wrestling career. 

From Basketball Phenom to AEW Dominance

Before entering professional wrestling, Cargill was a Division I basketball player at Jacksonville University. She caught the eye of WWE legend and Hall of Famer Mark Henry, who recommended that she transition from basketball to wrestling. 

In April 2019, she attended a tryout at the WWE Performance Center, but despite impressing during the tryout, Cargill opted not to sign at that time. 

A year later, Cargill made her professional wrestling debut, not with WWE, but with their rival company AEW. On November 11, 2020, she confronted Cody Rhodes and would later team with NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal in a match where they defeated Rhodes and Red Velvet. It wasn’t a single high-profile match that defined her legacy, but rather her historic undefeated streak, beginning her AEW tenure with a dominant 60-0 record. 

Her standout moment in AEW came on January 5, 2022, when she became the inaugural AEW TBS Champion, defeating Ruby Soho. Her title reign was the polar opposite of what her current reign as WWE Women’s Champion has been so far, as she held the belt for 508 days, making her the longest reigning champion in the company’s history at that time. 

She would finally lose her first match in AEW on May 28, 2023, when Kris Statlander answered Cargill’s open challenge, shockingly defeating her in under 50 seconds, to end both Cargill’s historical title reign and her undefeated streak. Cargill’s final match in AEW occurred on September 15, 2023, when she lost to Statlander in a rematch for the belt. 

WWE Arrival, Momentum, and the Sudden Stall

Eleven days later, WWE announced they were signing Cargill to a multi-year contract, a rare move for a newly signed talent, as Cargill skipped a tenure with the NXT developmental brand and went straight to the main roster. Jade Cargill would make her in-ring WWE debut on January 27, 2024, at the Royal Rumble, where she entered the match at number 28, eliminating top female talents Becky Lynch, Nia Jax, and Naomi. 

Following her dominant WWE debut, she was assigned to the SmackDown brand, where she teamed alongside Bianca Belair. The duo found success as two-time Women’s Tag Team Champions, first winning the titles on May 4, 2024, before losing them just 42 days later.

They would then win the titles back on August 31, 2024, but Cargill was written off in November 2024 after an ambush by a mysterious figure, with Naomi replacing her, due to a real-life injury. 

At Elimination Chamber on March 1, 2025, Cargill made her long-awaited return, where she confronted and ambushed Naomi, revealing Naomi as her attacker. Following her return, Cargill has found success as a singles competitor, becoming the 2025 Queen of the Ring and most recently capturing the WWE Women’s Championship. 

Cargill’s dominant career across AEW highlights her immense talent; her once-blistering momentum in WWE has stalled, leaving her relegated to sporadic appearances and random confrontations. The question now is how WWE can revitalize a title reign that feels stagnant, lacking both compelling challengers and a clear narrative direction.

Fixing the Reign: Challengers, Character Direction, and the Road Ahead

The first issue facing Jade Cargill is the lack of title defenses she has had since winning the WWE Women’s Championship. Despite SmackDown seeing newfound success due to its expansion to a three-hour format and recent new talent call-ups, the show is still dealing with a problem that has been plaguing it for quite some time: the lack of top talent female singles wrestlers.

Currently, most of the established SmackDown women’s stars are either injured (Bianca Belair and Tiffany Stratton) or are involved in the tag team division (Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, Ria Rhipley and IYO SKY, and Nia Jax and newcomer Lash Legend).  

In order to address this issue, WWE should shrink the current landscape of top female talent who are going after the Tag Team Championships. As well, having more fluid talent movement between brands or a draft to refresh the female division on SmackDown would allow Cargill to have some competition, finally.

The long-awaited returns of Bianca Belair and Tiffany Stratton from injury should help in this area, as well as the recent elevation of Jordynne Grace from NXT. 

One of the most interesting opponents for Cargill could come in the form of an experienced Liv Morgan. While it is entertaining seeing her alongside The Judgment Day,  some people believe that her time with the faction may have run its creative course.

The Judgement Day is viewed as a heel faction, and yet, despite that, Morgan is cheered by fans every time she either appears backstage or makes her entrance in the ring. 

Had WWE decided to make her a face upon her return from injury and turning on Dominik Mysterio at Survivor Series, a fresh opponent could have awaited Cargill. This potential storyline was teased in early 2025, with Morgan facing accusations of being Cargill’s mystery assailant, and the two squaring off in a match in March 2025.

It also could have provided Cargill a major boost by having her feud with one of the company’s biggest female stars. On top of all that, it could have helped SmackDown, as it has been lacking top female stars on its show. 

Secondly, while WWE’s shift to turning Cargill heel wasn’t the wrong decision, a heel can only be effective if a hero is waiting in the shadows. For example, Joker wouldn’t feel as necessary if he didn’t have Batman lurking behind the scenes. Cargill’s heel turn has been criticized for lacking a clear and compelling storyline. This abrupt transition interrupted her momentum, leaving fans puzzled. 

Although Cargill is arguably better as a heel, WWE failed to craft the transition properly. It is crucial that, as WrestleMania is fast approaching, WWE fixes the trajectory she is facing.

Cargill’s reign as WWE Women’s Champion isn’t going to succeed by her simply having a title around her shoulder and bullying mid-card talent. Cargill needs to become involved in a high-stakes feud that transforms her into a fighting champion who defends her title instead of using it merely as a prop. It would be refreshing to see Cargill intimidated by a talent who poses enough of a threat for her to be watching her back at all times.