Tiffany Stratton Stuns WWE Universe, Cashes in Money in the Bank to Win Women’s Championship—Here’s How She Did It!

In what is surely one of the most chaotic moments in recent women’s wrestling, another astonishing twist came through the Women’s Championship picture on the main event of the January 3 edition of WWE SmackDown, as Nia Jax succeeded in defending the title against a rematch with eager Naomi, just to lose that gold in minutes to an opportunistic Tiffany Stratton.

The night began with a highly physical encounter pitting Nia Jax against Naomi, their second championship match since November 15. Naomi, fresh from finding new steam through her teaming with Bianca Belair as co-holder of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, was eager to take down the dominant champion.

Naomi made her way to the ring, accompanied by Belair, as confident as ever, while Candice LeRae joined Jax at ringside. Jax began to overpower Naomi at the bell itself, grounding Naomi early in the match. Naomi was resilient, firing back with several high-impact moves, the leg-drop being one of the breathtaking ones for a pin that secured her a near fall.

The challenger was still aggressive as she nailed a dive to the outside and then a Samoan drop to keep the crowd into the match. Jax returned the favor with a diving leg-drop but almost got the win. The physicality didn’t deter Naomi, though, as a tornado DDT went down and her quickness continued to keep Jax on defense.

Interference and Chaos

Things began to get out of hand as Candice LeRae tried to interfere but was neutralized by Belair. Jax responded by taking down Belair at ringside and sent her into the steel steps. Back in the ring, Naomi countered the powerslam off the top rope.

Just as Naomi seemed ready to make her move, down the ramp ran Tiffany Stratton with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Teasing a cash-in, Stratton instead whacked Naomi in the back of the head with the briefcase, and Jax quickly planted her with the Annihilator to score the pinfall.

A Stunning Turn of Events

The drama didn’t end there. Off the bell, Stratton pulled off the most shocking moment in the match: attacking Jax with the briefcase.

A thunderous KOD was delivered by Bianca Belair to Jax, with Stratton taking Belair out just moments later. Seizing the moment, Stratton officially cashed in her Money in the Bank contract.

Inside the arena, the crowd was in utter disbelief as Stratton hit the Prettiest Moonsault on Jax to get the pinfall and become the new WWE Women’s Champion. The stunning upset solidified Stratton as a crafty opportunist and a force to be dealt with in WWE.

TIFFANY STRATTON IS THE NEW WOMEN'S CHAMPION#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/nfVgYbYNqM

— s e t h (@futurafreesky) January 4, 2025

Aftermath and Implications

With Tiffany Stratton taking the win, it’s thrown the women’s division into chaos. Dethroning Nia Jax, and robbing Naomi of that moment, it’s for sure both will want payback. With Bianca Belair involved, she could very well insert herself into the title picture, making it an explosive rivalry.

For now, Stratton stands tall as the WWE Women’s Champion, her shocking victory cementing January 3 as a night to remember in WWE history. The dramatic fallout from this episode will, without question, help shape the road to WrestleMania.