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LAS VEGAS– Jade Cargill has been a constant presence in the WrestleMania spotlight since joining WWE in 2023.
Cargill teamed with Naomi and Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 40 to defeat Dakota Kai, Asuka and Kairi Sane. Cargill pinned Kai for the win in this match. At WrestleMania 41, Cargill made history by competing in the first women’s singles match without a stipulation at the event. She defeated Naomi after their friendship broke down.
She’s in the spotlight again – this time as WWE Women’s Champion.
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Jade Cargill heads to the ring during SmackDown at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec on January 23, 2026. (Craig Melvin/WWE)
Cargill won the title on Saturday Night’s Main Event in November, defeating Tiffany Stratton. On the second night of WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, she will defend the championship against women’s Elimination Chamber winner Rhea Ripley.
She told PK Press Club Digital in an interview before her match on Sunday night that she had the advantage.
“I mean, I’m me. I’m Jade Cargill. I’m the champion. I’m stronger. I’m bigger,” she said. “I mean, she’s been here before, right? Several times. Me too. I’ve had matches against Naomi. Naomi is spectacular in her own right. She was our champion. The only reason she lost the title was because she was pregnant. So it’s not like I haven’t faced champions who have graced major events and been spectacular in their own right.
“I’ve done this before. I mean, I’m me, that’s all I have to say. The only way up is up. She’s up. It’s time to go down. I don’t see this ending yet. I’m 2-0. I’m red hot. I just formed a group with Michin and B-Fab. Who’s going to stop us?”
Cargill would not say whether Michin and B-Fab would be by her side during her match at WrestleMania, but noted that she found allies in them as Ripley turned her attention away from “Monday Night Raw” to focus on “Friday Night Smackdown.”
WWE CHAMP JADE CARGILL IS VERY HOPEFUL TO MEET ‘STONE COLD’ STEVE AUSTIN AT HALL OF FAME CEREMONY
Jade Cargil faces Rhea Ripley on Monday Night RAW at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on April 6, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE)
She suggested to PK Press Club Digital that the three were allies of convenience rather than a full-fledged stable.
“We’re more of an ally. We’re not a group, we’re more of an ally. They had their issues with her. I came in with my issues. Like, who are you to come to SmackDown? And I look at our locker room and I’m like, ‘This girl came from Raw to SmackDown and she thinks she’s going to run things and you’re going to let…’ Because I played by the rules for too long. I was trying to adjust. It was a year of adjustments – all these things. I was trying to do things the right way when, all along, this little voice inside me was saying, “No, you know the right way, and the right way is to the left. Don’t listen, it won’t get you anywhere.”
“So we all got together and we figured out… Well, they came to me and it was more like, ‘You know what? You were right. It shouldn’t be like this. We should come together and catch this person who’s an outsider, let’s get them out.’ She doesn’t even deserve to be on SmackDown. And that’s why we became allies. We both have a common enemy. And so we said, let’s get rid of this girl. Let’s get this over with. And it was smart.”
Cargill said getting to this point has been a lot of trial and error since joining WWE.
She debuted at Royal Rumble 2024 and left her mark on SmackDown by helping Naomi and Belair. She and Belair became tag team champions twice during this period and in 2025 she won the Queen of the Ring tournament.
Jade Cargill holds up her championship belt during SmackDown at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina on March 20, 2026. (Craig Melvin/WWE)
“It’s been a series of trials and errors. It’s also been a trial of adjustments because I was used to it being one way,” Cargill told PK Press Club Digital. “I came in as a babyface when, naturally, I’m a heel. I want people to hate me. I like the motivation behind that. And then going from being all about myself to being a team, that was an adjustment as well.
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“It was a lot of things that I had to change about myself and my character, growing up and learning to be selfless and learning to be a good guy and take care of myself. … So it was years of trial and error and just adjustments.”
Cargill’s reign has surpassed 165 days and will look to continue his dominance through WrestleMania 42 this weekend.
