SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Days before making her second appearance inside the steel cage structure at World Wrestling Entertainment’s Elimination Chamber to vie for a chance to main event WrestleMania, multi-time women’s champion and WWE superstar Tiffany Stratton stopped by “The Finish with Kor & Tor” for an interview.
Stratton talked about the origin of her character, what makes this year’s Elimination Chamber hit different, why she thrives under pressure, what advice she has for Bay Area native “The Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu to hit her version of the moonsault, and ranked her toughest opponents so far.
Kor of The Finish: You are right now on the Road to WrestleMania in Las Vegas, but before that, you’re stopping at Elimination Chamber this Saturday (Feb. 28). How are you feeling heading into this Elimination Chamber match?
Tiffany Stratton: “Oh, I am anxious, and I am excited. I can’t wait for Elimination Chamber. Chamber is actually so special to me because two years ago, I was a rookie, and I was put into the Elimination Chamber match, and I had kind of my moment there in Australia. It was in Australia, and the crowd went crazy for “Tiffy Time,” and I was like the rookie compared to everybody else. Becky Lynch was there, Bianca Belair. It was so amazing. So I’m excited to get back into Elimination Chamber. I was not in it last year and hopefully win it. Not hopefully I will win it and then reclaim back my title at WrestleMania.”
Tor of The Finish: That’s a great segue. Tiffany, so you are entering your second Elimination Chamber this weekend, and only one woman so far — the one you mentioned, “The Man” Becky Lynch — has won in her second appearance. So, what is your strategy to make history?
Stratton: “So my strategy to make history, I’m going to use the entire situation. I’m going to use the steel cage to my advantage. I may jump off one of the pods. I have been known to do some crazy stuff like that. And you know, if I’m the first one of the first two in there, I’m gonna reserve my energy. I’m not going to go too crazy. Off the bat, if I’m one of the last two in there, I’m going to just be hitting my finish left and right, because everyone else is beat down and I’m fresh. So those are kind of my few strategies. We’ll have to see where I am in that match.”
Tor of The Finish: What do you think that you learned from your first chamber appearance to this second match?
Stratton: “I learned a lot in between. Then I feel like that Elimination Chamber, I was still so new. I was kind of just happy to be there. I did eliminate somebody in my first Chamber; I eliminated Naomi. So that was super cool. So hopefully this time around, I can eliminate maybe one, maybe two, maybe three, maybe four people. I don’t know we’re going to have to wait and see, but I feel like I’ve grown so much since then. And you know, my move sets developed a little bit, so hopefully my move set now helps me a little bit more in this Chamber match.”
Tor of The Finish: In your background, I can see it says “Tiffy Time.” You know, fans do love “Tiffy Time,” and I’ve seen in person the huge pops you get for your entrances. So why do you think fans love you so much?
Stratton: “That’s a really good question. I really have no idea other than the fact that when I came in, I felt like I just so fresh and so new. And I don’t think the fans have really seen like a character like Tiffany Stratton in a long time. So maybe that’s why the fans kind of, I guess loved me so much right off the bat, but I’m still trying to figure out why they love me so much, just because I started off as a heel as a bad guy, and they just cheered me, and they loved me being the bad guy. So I am also asking myself that question too.”
Kor of The Finish: “I’m going to get beat up at home if I don’t ask this question, you have gone on record to say that your character has been influenced by Sharpay Evans, by High School Musical. It’s something that well, my fiancé just loves because I introduced her to pro wrestling a few years ago. Being a fan of High School Musical as she is, too. She wanted me to ask you this question, what is your favorite song from High School Musical?”
Stratton: Oh, that’s a really, really, really good question. I have to say it’s got to be a Sharpay Evans song. And it’s got to be, I want it all the song. I think it’s High School Musical too. She sings it by the pool, you know, the dip in the pool, trip to the spot like that song, that is probably my favorite saying. I know a word for word, bar for bar. And it would be so amazing if that could be my entrance on one day.
Kor of The Finish: Well, maybe one day, I think it could happen. But something that happened this week, and I wanted to ask you about because there’s video circulating online for this week. We all said goodbye to AJ Styles. But happening at the same time, there’s this video of you and Nia (Jax), kind of messing with AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble, kind of heckling him a little bit, calling him “Uncle Allen.” What do you think is your biggest takeaway from working with Uncle Allen?
Stratton: “I love Uncle Allen. He’s just always somebody that is there to give advice, and I feel like he gives the best advice. It’s not just like, ‘Oh, have better kick outs’ — he gives like, really good sound advice. And he’s somebody that I can look up to in the ring. I feel like, with my style, I’ve never seen anybody move so fluidly, like he is so amazing in the ring. It’s so awesome to even be on a roster at the same time as him. I feel like I’m living people’s dreams just being on the same roster as him and being on the same show as him. So, yeah, I love Uncle Allen. He’s the best, and he’s honestly, he’s such a good person.”
Tor of The Finish: When you think of Styles Clash, a pretty iconic finisher, and you think of the Prettiest Moonsault Ever, one of the best finishers in pro wrestling right now — what inspired the name, and who do you think has taken the best Prettiest Moonsault Ever so far.
Stratton: “So originally, I think the move was was called the BMU – the Best Moonsault Ever. And I didn’t want to steer away from that at all, just because I did not invent the move by any means. So I just kind of wanted to pay tribute to the person who did it before me, and kind of just say it’s the Prettiest Moonsault Ever, because I’m pretty and I do it pretty. Who do I think has taken the best moonsault? I have to say probably Nia Jax and that was probably – actually no. Now that I’m thinking about it, I think Lyra Valkyria, when I won the title in NXT, the way that I did that moonsault. I don’t think I’ve ever done it any better since then. I did it so high. I did it so perfectly, so straight, like my toes were pointed, like back in my gymnastics days. And the way that she took it was just, it looks so like aggressive and abrasive. So she took that pretty well. And then I have to say number two is probably Nia Jax.
Kor of The Finish: It’s a great move, and it’s something I’ve seen play out on Raw, too, on Smackdown with Jacob Fatu. I see him do it, and People say, “Oh, look at Jacob Fatu is doing the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. Now, I know you have a gymnastics background. What advice would you give Jacob Fatu on his moonsault? How is it different than yours?
Stratton: “Well, I believe he just goes to the middle ropes and then he jumps to the top rope. Try it touching the first rope, because it is 10 times harder. Your brain has to literally sit there and be like, ‘Okay, first, second, then third.’ It may seem like such a small little movement, but it makes such a difference, because I feel like you can get tripped up so easily. But Jacob does it very well. He gets a lot of air time in it. He can maybe point his toes as well but yeah, other than that, he has a pretty solid moonsault.”
Tor of The Finish: You know, Tiffany, speaking of gymnastics, what advice do you have for other young women — female athletes dominating other sports — who are thinking about breaking into pro wrestling?
Stratton: “That’s a good question. I think don’t be afraid. I feel like you can’t approach wrestling being scared, not only just being scared, like to do things in the ring, but to be out there and be embarrassing and be cringy. And I think all of that is more nerve wracking than the in ring stuff, because you can kind of like catch on to the physicality of it, but I feel like, the promos, the character work, all that kind of stuff, is a lot harder for some people. So I think don’t be afraid to be embarrassing or be cringy. I think that’s what is going to set you apart from other people, and if you get comfortable being in that kind of embarrassing state or that cringy state, you could be unstoppable one day.”
Tor of The Finish: Now, speaking of ‘unstoppable’ as a great segue, Tiff, You had a pretty hard-hitting match at last year’s WrestleMania in Vegas against Charlotte Flair – one of the more intense matches on the card. At one point, it looked like you lost your tooth. That wasn’t the case, fortunately. But where does that match rank among the toughest of your career?
Stratton: I think just given you know the situation and the story, I think that’s probably one of my hardest matches. It was probably one of my longest matches, I have to say that. And then the Becky Lynch match at No Mercy and then I would have to say number three on that list would be me versus Lyra Valkyria for the NXT title. But yeah, that match at WrestleMania, it was a lot. It took a lot out of me. But I’m super grateful that it happened. I learned so much from from that match alone, and I gained so much confidence having my first ever Wrestlemania match underneath my belt at 26-years-old. So hopefully this year I’ll get another WrestleMania moment and hopefully steal the show.
Kor of The Finish: No, definitely you talk about having a WrestleMania moment this year. Here you are in Elimination Chamber this Saturday for a shot to face Jade Cargill at WrestleMania. You guys have already gone back and forth two times. What if it happens at WrestleMania? What’s going to make part three different?
Stratton: That’s a good question. We’re at WrestleMania. We are on an even grander stage. I think we have to both be bringing our A-game. We obviously have to bring something different. It would be like our third, I think our third match against each other. So maybe it’ll be a street fight. Maybe it’ll be an Extreme Rules match. So, I think maybe one of those elements would be cool to bring. Obviously, we both know each other so well. I’ve, I’ve beaten Jade Cargill; she’s beaten me. So, I think that alone kind of brings a little bit something different, just because we know each other’s weaknesses and our strengths now. So, I think it would be a really cool matchup for another time.
Kor of The Finish: Alright, before we get out of here, WrestleMania is just under two months away. Besides your WrestleMania moment, tickets are on sale right now. Besides your WrestleMania moment, what else are you looking forward to this year in Vegas?
Stratton: Ooh, obviously, it’s Las Vegas. I’m excited just to be at a WrestleMania week. I feel like there’s so much there’s so much pressure, but like, pressure for me, like it’s a good thing. It means people expect something from you. I feel like there’s so many amazing things you can do in Las Vegas. And I’m just honestly so excited to go back. I I can’t wait to feel the atmosphere, the people, the lights, everything. So I can’t wait to go back to Las Vegas this year.
Kor of The Finish: No, definitely, I agree with you. This is going to be my second WrestleMania, going to this year. And Tor and I will both be there. Tiffany, thank you so much for joining us today on The Finish with Kor & Tor. You have a great day.
Stratton: Thank you, guys, for having me.
Tor Smith
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