Top NXT Star Credits Inspiration For WWE Career To Charlotte Flair

WWE

A top NXT star has shared that it was 14-time world champion Charlotte Flair that inspired her to pursue a career in the WWE.

Speaking on the latest edition of NXTUp, the current NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton revealed that her journey to WWE began upon coming across Charlotte Flair on WWE TV.

Stratton explained:

“Well, obviously the Queen herself, Charlotte Flair (inspired me to become a wrestler).

“I was actually switching through the channels one night and I saw her on my screen. I think it was a random SmackDown, and I saw her.

“She’s blonde, she was jacked, and I thought to myself, ‘I could totally do that.’

“So I immediately submitted my application on the WWE website, and I never heard back.

“So I submitted it again, and again, and again. I still heard nothing. So what I did is I found a connection. His name was Greg Gagne.

“He actually agreed to train me for a little bit, and actually, I took my first bump and he immediately said, ‘This girl has IT.’

“So he called Stephanie McMahon, who got in contact with Triple H to get me a tryout and they finally agreed to give me a tryout.”

Stratton was seemingly set to begin her path to WWE before the COVID-19 pandemic derailed everything, forcing the 25-year-old to wait a year and a half before hearing from WWE again.

However, during that time the former gymnast focused on bodybuilding and CrossFit, better preparing for her eventual tryout with the company.

Stratton explained:

“They flew me to the Performance Center and then COVID hits, so they had to fly us all back home.

“I didn’t get invited back for another year and a half and what it did in that year and a half is I went through a bodybuilding prep.

“I CrossFit’d, and I continued to train in the ring that I first ever took my bump in.

“Then I finally was invited back and immediately they signed me and now look where we are.”

Stratton followed in her idol Charlotte Flair’s footsteps by becoming the NXT Women’s Champion at NXT Battleground on May 28, defeating Lyra Valkyria.

The new champion’s first title defence was confirmed to be 19-year-old Thea Hail, who won a number one contender’s battle royal on last week’s NXT (June 6).

Before that match however, Hail must take on another top contender on this week’s June 13 show, to find out more details follow this link here.

Transcript courtesy of Fightful

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• Tiffany Stratton
• Charlotte Flair
• nxt
• wwe

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