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After making her much-anticipated return to professional wrestling at the 2024 Royal Rumble, eliminating three performers as the 28th entrant in the women's match, including the “Irresistible Force,” Nia Jax, you'd think Jade Cargill would be basking in the glow of arguably the most important night of her professional wrestling career, right? Take some time to celebrate, make a few friends in catering, and maybe even scroll through social media to ride the high of the thousands of posts complementing her performance.
And yet, with nothing to do on the show but interview pretty much anyone who walked through the backstage area, Cathy Kelley caught up with the former TBS Champion to see how she felt about the Rumble and, in the process of the interview, came to learn how “That Chick” felt about the rest of the women's division.
“I'm nothing less than a Superstar, what did you think was gonna happen? I do want to thank the WWE fan base because you showed up and showed out tonight. I am nothing short of a superstar. I am Jade Cargill, and that was my first introduction. Get ready for everything that comes with me,” Jade Cargill told Cathy Kelley via WrestleTalk.
“I think Nia is one of the strongest women in this division, but she's not Jade Cargill. I mean, did you see what I did out there tonight? Did you hear the pop that I got? Clearly this fanbase doesn’t like her, and they like me, so keep it moving.
“This entire locker room is full of talent. I thought I did my homework. I wasn't expecting Liv Morgan, but clearly, I have to go back, do some more work, and keep it moving. I am one of one, I am number one, and I'm here to take over this entire women’s division.”
While some have criticized Cargill's efforts in the ring, with Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez noting that the former AEW star doesn't look much improved from her time in Tony Khan's company, it's clear WWE is willing to overlook the occasional in-ring flub in order to push the basketball star, as her star power is simply too great to be stuck in the Performance Center as she elevates her game.
Natalya is excited about Jade Cargill's future.
Though they didn't get to share the ring in the Royal Rumble, one person who had nothing but nice things to say about Jade Cargill's efforts in the match was Natalya, the former three-time champion who is starting her 17th year with the promotion on one brand or another.
Discussing Cargill's efforts in WWE in an interview with Sportskeeda, Natalya let it be known that she was very impressed by what she saw, especially since they've been working hard in the Dungeon in preparation for the match.
“Jade is gonna blow everybody away. I think she’s really passionate about this, and I think she’s gonna be good. I think she’s gonna be really good, but what really impressed me with Jade is that when she approached me about coming to train with us at the Dungeon,” Natalya said via Fightful. “She had just lost her mom, and I just felt like that showed, she was going through probably one of the most difficult things that a person can go through, but she was still showing so much passion for this and wanting to do this, so much focus, so much drive, that it really made me respect her even more.”
Asked if she had any advice for the still-young WWE Superstar, Natalya said she did, as no matter the Superstar, a career in professional wrestling is a marathon, not a sprint.
“I think for anybody that’s in this, whether it’s Jade or whether it’s somebody from NXT or whether it’s a returning Superstar or whether it’s a legend or whether it’s myself, I think the biggest and best piece of advice that I can give is to take this one day at a time,” Natalya said. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Because it’s ever-changing. Every single day is ever-changing, and there’s gonna be so many obstacles that are thrown at you, and it can be so overwhelming. I’ve done this actually longer than any other woman in the history of WWE, 17 uninterrupted years here in WWE, and I feel like if I look at my massive body of work, it can feel overwhelming to me, but I’ve tried to take it one day at a time, one moment at a time, one match at a time, and to really enjoy each moment.”
Unfortunately for Natalya, Cargill is not going to be afforded a chance to slowly grow into the performer she's going to be, as her match at the 2024 Royal Rumble all but certainly set the groundwork for a match at WrestleMania 40 against Nia Jax, Liv Morgan, or even Bianca Belair, depending on how things shake out. Still, if she can remain committed to continued growth, getting incrementally better with each passing day, who knows, maybe the next 70 or so days will be enough to put on a star-making performance at the “Showcase of the Immortals.”
