Tiffany Stratton on Impostor Syndrome, Potential WWE Main Roster Call-Up and More

WWE NXT has served as the stomping grounds for some of the biggest and brightest prospects in the industry since its relaunch, chief among them being Tiffany Stratton.

In late 2021, she made the seamless transition from gymnastics at St. Catherine University to the squared circle, training with wrestling legend Greg Gagne for just a few months before signing with WWE that August.

In two years, Stratton has already developed into a tremendous talent and only scratched the surface of what she can do. Her four-month run as NXT women's champion culminated in an outstanding outing with Becky Lynch in September, followed by an instant classic Extreme Rules match at No Mercy.

Having failed to regain the gold, Stratton's sights are now set on making a permanent move to the main roster, continuing to test her mettle against the best in the business and perhaps headlining WrestleMania one day.

The self-proclaimed Buff Barbie Doll sat down with Bleacher Report to discuss her recent success, feuding with Lynch, experiencing impostor's syndrome, praise she's received from people in power, and more.

Top Takeaways from Being Champion

Stratton first showed signs of potential in the summer of 2022 while feuding with Wendy Choo, and after her breakout performance in their Lights Out match, it was more a matter of when than if she'd be holding the NXT Women's Championship.

She defeated Lyra Valkyria at Battleground 2023 to clinch the vacant title and went on to have successful defenses against Thea Hail and Kiana James in the months that followed.

Although it was only four months before she dropped the belt to Becky Lynch, she improved immensely during her time on top, both in the ring and on the mic.

There's plenty of room for improvement, but Stratton has shown she can adapt on the fly and work through her weaknesses.

"I definitely feel like the number one thing that I took away from being champion was growing as a character, as a wrestler and as a performer," she told Bleacher Report. "I definitely feel like my feud with Thea Hail was a bit rocky here and there, but I prevailed in the end. I never tapped out. I've ultimately grown on the whole."

"I've learned to never take anything for granted and that things can change on a dime," she added. "I've grown as a performer and as a person."

Dealing with Imposter Syndrome Amid Major Push

When the lights are on bright, Stratton appears to be as cool, calm and collected as they come. She's made the most of every opportunity she's been afforded and consistently exuded confidence in multiple big-match situations.

What fans tend to forget at times is that Superstars experience the same emotions they do, including the self-doubt of impostor syndrome.

Going into her aggressive push ahead of facing Becky Lynch, she recalled thinking she may not have been ready for it and all eyes were on her.

Stratton had to remind herself there was a reason she was being spotlighted in the first place, and that's because she was excelling at a rapid rate.

"I for sure had a little bit of impostor syndrome, I think that's what you'd call it," she said. "Doubting yourself, 'Why me? I've only been in this business for two years.' Honestly, when the pressure is on, that's when I deliver and thrive. I think my gymnastics has helped me with that so much.

"I was timid going into it and scared and not confident because she's one of the greatest of all time, but I proved I could hang with her and I brought my everything in that match and she pulled the best out of me," she continued.

"I had a big confidence boost coming out of that match and like I'm on top of the world, even without my title. I really haven't lost anything from that performance or from losing my title."

Benefiting from Feuding with Becky Lynch

Almost instantaneously, Stratton received a significant step up in competition upon conquering a majority of NXT's women's division.

She was willing to take on all comers and welcomed Becky Lynch back to NXT to offer her an opportunity at the one title she had never won. Ultimately, The Man was too much for her to handle and she lost the belt.

However, her back-to-back bouts with Lynch only caused her stock to skyrocket. Despite falling short of victory on both occasions, her stellar showings were enough to convince the audience to take notice and acknowledge her as a star on the rise.

"Obviously, just being in the ring with Becky is a huge thing for me in my career," Stratton said. "I've learned a lot from her. She's definitely taught me a lot and pushed me in the matches we've had, and it's hard not to learn from someone like Becky. She's one of the greatest women's wrestlers of all time. It's been an amazing few weeks for sure."

Their Extreme Rules contest closed out No Mercy on an epic note and saw Stratton withstand unreal pain and punishment throughout but gain the respect of many in the process.

Praise from Paul Heyman and Main Roster Aspirations

Stratton has played her heel role exceptionally well thus far, but as she progresses, crowds will get behind her more and more.

Staying the course with her current character is the way to go, and per the former NXT women's champion herself, NXT head of creative Shawn Michaels has played an integral role in her development thanks to his continuous support.

Getting his stamp of approval is how she knows she knocked it out of the park that night. But it was an interaction she had with one of WWE's biggest names at the Payback pay-per-view that really resonated with her.

"I actually had Paul Heyman come up to me," Stratton said. "He said I did a really good job in my backstage [segment] with Becky and holding my own and being able to stand out even with Becky Lynch right there next to me."

Her recent Raw appearances are an encouraging sign that a promotion to the main roster may not be too far off. Although she's excited to make that move and hopes it's on the sooner side, she's also attempting to enjoy her time in NXT while it lasts and be ready for when that call comes.

"I want to enjoy my time here [in NXT] because I know [the call-up] is going to happen one day," she said. "With wrestling, you can always do more to get better. There's never going to be an aspect of wrestling you're perfect at.

"I just take everything I do in NXT and try to do it as well as possible and get better every day. And when they want to call me up, I'm sure it's going to be the right moment."

Thoughts on Jade Cargill and Being NXT's Buff Barbie Doll

NXT's recent ratings surge means more eyes are on the product, and that only motivates Stratton that much more. The pressure it provides gives her another chance to show the world why she is the future.

Plenty of buzz surrounds the women's division in the gold brand right now between Becky Lynch being champion and the signing of Jade Cargill.

Per PWInsider Elite, the former AEW TBS champion will be headed to Raw shortly, but a quick stop in NXT isn't out of the question.

On the subject of Cargill potentially wrestling in NXT, Stratton said: "Bring them all in. We are always taking new wrestlers, but as far as competition is concerned, I feel like I'm in my own lane. Bring them in, let's go. I'm not intimidated in the slightest. I'm excited for the future of the women's division in NXT. I feel like we have a lot of talent and a lot of talent that hasn't debuted yet."

As far as being Buff Barbie Doll of NXT, Stratton revealed she pitched the moniker soon after signing with WWE but was turned down for copyright-related reasons.

"I was in powerlifting before coming to WWE, and I had someone do a little Snapchat story on me showing me flexing and stuff, and they called me 'the Buff Barbie Doll,' and it was right before I got signed," she said. "I kind of wanted to make that my gimmick and they [WWE] said that they couldn't trademark Barbie, so while it didn't really work at the time, with the Barbie movie, it's a really good time to incorporate the Barbie font and gear."

Instead, Stratton is doing just fine in her role as one of NXT's fastest-rising stars, and it shouldn't be much longer before she's gracing the main stage in WWE.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.