WWE
Jade Cargill has only wrestled five singles matches on live WWE broadcasts. On Saturday, she makes her sixth solo appearance under the brightest lights of WrestleMania 41. It’s a pressure cooker moment, but you can’t tell from Cargill’s cool demeanor.
“I don’t get nervous,” Cargill told CBS Sports before her match with Naomi at WrestleMania 41. “When it’s a smaller, intimate crowd, especially if I have my co-workers, that’s when nerves kick in. But I think the grander the stage and the bigger the audience, my nerves settle. I know I’ll go out there and put on a great match.”
Cargill’s relative inexperience will be a talking point for some time. Not because she isn’t improving, but because she was thrust so firmly into the spotlight from the start. Cargill has primarily wrestled tag team matches since debuting with WWE last year, but the gloves come off this weekend.
“People haven’t seen me in these one-on-one matches as often as I’d like. That’s OK,” Cargill said. “I’m ready to go out there, show people what I’ve learned and how much I’ve grown. I think people are really going to be shocked.”
WrestleMania rivals Cargill and Naomi are two sides of the same coin. Cargill’s presence jumps off the screen, leading her to elevated roles without a wealth of experience. Naomi debuted as one of Brodus Clay’s dancing Funkadactyls, overcame the gimmick’s limitation and became a two-time women’s world champion.
In November, Cargill was written off television after being attacked by a mystery assailant. Her thunderous return at February’s Elimination Chamber helped reveal Naomi as the culprit. It’s unclear if Cargill was nursing a legitimate injury during her three-month absence, but she’s certainly worked on her craft.
“I’ve had more time on the sidelines to develop and focus,” Cargill said. “I’ve zeroed in on what I’m good at, what I’m not and what I want to absorb. There are so many choices, but there’s also a system in place here.”
Fortunately, she has the perfect dance partner on game day. Former SmackDown women’s and TNA knockouts world champion Naomi is one of WWE’s most respected superstars. Multi-time women’s champion Bianca Belair recently told CBS Sports how valuable Naomi was as a tag partner despite Belair’s decorated resume. Cargill’s friendship with Naomi runs deep, and there’s no one she trusts more inside the ring.
“Naomi is one of the women I looked up to when I got into this industry,” Cargill said. “She has a wealth of knowledge. She’s very respected in the locker room. She’s gone through so many changes as far as women’s wrestling. She stuck to her guns.
“She was my big sis before I got into this industry. Before I came to this company, Naomi was the first person I spoke to here. When she left the company, I was the first person to call her. Whenever she had a match, I was the person hyping her up. When she fell short, I was there giving her the biggest hug.”
