During her gymnastics heyday, Tiffany Stratton exemplified persistence, dedication, and resilience. As one of the top three gymnasts in the country on the double mini trampoline, her journey seemed destined for even greater heights. However, an unexpected injury ended her career, forcing her onto an unforeseen path. But it did give her another journey to embark on.

Statton’s determination allowed her to compete in top-level competitions. She became the representative of Team USA on a global scale. However, that did not work in the favor of the 25-year-old. It was that one decision that meant the end of one stage and the beginning of a new one– professional wrestling arena.

“My coaches never pushed me”: Tiffany Stratton reflected on her gymnastics journey and the reasons she had to let go of the sport she loved the most

Jessica Woynilko, better known to WWE fans as Stratton, attributes her success in gymnastics to her own relentless determination rather than external pressures. “It’s never my coaches pushing me; it was always me wanting to do the hard work, the conditioning, the strengths of doing the routines over and over,” she shared.

Tiffany Stratton was seen in conversation with TJ Haag in 2020 on his The Not So F—in’ Ordinary Show and shared the story behind her injury and how she avoided visiting the doctor. She said that gymnastics helped her learn how to work hard. The gymnast-turned-wrestler said, “I believe in 2017, I ended up like stress fracturing my foot, and I didn’t know it at the time, so I was like pushing through this injury every single day, obviously.” In 2016, she was in the top three gymnasts in the country in the double mini trampoline, and after a few months, her things started getting worse—she got injured while doing the trampoline. Between 2016 and 2017, she competed in five events, including the 2016 USA Gymnastics Championships.

“I was at the highest point of my career at this time. I wanted to make the national team. I wanted to do this. I wanted to make a Worlds team, which is the highest level you can go before the Olympics. So I kept pushing and pushing and pushing,” Tiffany Stratton shared. She was asked to go to Canada and compete for Team USA, but little did she know, it would be her last presence as a gymnast. Her foot was injured at that time, and she was not aware that she had a stress fracture.

She further said, “Everyone was kind of like rising from talking. I was just in pain the entire time. I still performed my routines but ended up messing up one of my passes, so it didn’t go as planned.” She was in so much pain, and how come no one did anything? That’s because no one knew about her injury; Stratton didn’t tell her coaches, international staff, or teammates, as she was very shy back then. She also shared that she even didn’t go to the doctor; she said, “I got back from the competition and kind of took some time off. I never went to the doctor. Then nationals came, and I think I can do that at nationals. No, I didn’t. So I went to the doctor a few weeks later, now back from Canada.”

That’s when she got to know about the seriousness of the injury because the doctor asked her to get surgery. She explained, “The doctor told me, either you get surgery, or we can try putting you in a boot for six months and see if it gets better. I never got surgery. I didn’t want to go under the needle and risk my life. So we did that, and I feel all right.” That injury ended her gymnastics career, and she doesn’t have any regrets about losing gymnastics as her sport. As she said, “It was just time for me to move on. And thank God I did.” After moving on from gymnastics, Tiffany Stratton shifted her career to WWE.

Was Tiffany Stratton’s shift from gymnastics to WWE worth it or not?

After quitting gymnastics due to a stress fracture, she transitioned to professional wrestling, joining WWE under the ring name Tiffany Stratton. But was it she who decided to go for wrestling? And the answer is no, it was her mother, who decided for her daughter. Her mother came in contact with pro wrestling coach Greg Gagne and requested he mold her daughter’s talent for pro wrestling. It all started in 2021.

Was it only Gagne who helped Stratton in professional wrestling? Ken ‘Mr. Kennedy’ Anderson also helped refine her wrestling skills, leading to impressive achievements in her career. After finishing her training, she appeared for a WWE tryout and was taken in by the WWE Performance Center. She made her NXT debut on December 28, 2021.

Interestingly, she became the only female member of the batch who graduated from the developmental brand of NXT. What has she achieved being a WWE professional? She ranked No. 25 of the top 250 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Women’s 250 in 2023 and also received Breakout Star of the Year (2023). In 2024, Stratton became NXT Superstar of the Year (2024). If that was not enough for her in such a short period, she has received a big honor.

After helping Nia Jax defend her championship against Naomi and later turning on both Jax and Candice LeRae, Stratton cashed in her Money in the Bank contract on Jax to win the WWE Women’s Championship on the January 3, 2025, episode of SmackDown. Given that this is her first title victory after just a year of being on the main roster, it is to be seen how her WWE journey will be shaped in the future. What do you think about the shift from gymnastics to WWE? Was it worth it? Do tell us in the comments below.