NXT No Mercy was a star-making moment for Tiffany Stratton

Tiffany Stratton walked out of NXT No Mercy as a bigger star, proving that she deserves to be in the ring with the top names on the WWE roster. 

NXT No Mercy was a standout moment in professional wrestling for the year. There was a lot to take away from this card, but one thing stood out among everything – this was a star-making moment for Tiffany Stratton.

Yes, Stratton lost. The 24-year-old woman with one year of professional wrestling experience failed to defeat Becky Lynch to regain the NXT Women’s Championship. Sure, some critics will yell out “buried” and other forms of criticism. But let’s be real. This was a performance that had the potential to be “the moment” that made the future of Stratton’s career.

Being in the ring with a 20-year veteran went a long way in this match. Lynch’s ring generalship helped create a near-perfect twenty-minute outing for these two women. But do not sleep on Stratton’s ability to hang with her in this match. She looked like she belonged from start to finish. The spotlight was fixed on Stratton and Lynch at a time with the latter made it clear that the WWE (and wrestling entirely) must give women’s wrestling more time if the ladies are going to become special attractions. This was the exact match that Lynch was talking about and Stratton did her part to deliver in the moment.

With this loss, many will ask “what’s next,” for Stratton. Losing two straight matches should push her out of the title picture a bit. With two months left before Royal Rumble season, maybe this is the kick-off moment that leads to a main roster debut. Stratton is a great young talent that the company can build either show around for the future.

The real challenge will be keeping Stratton involved in the right fashion if she remains on NXT. Bron Breakker was built to be a dominant champion, but since dropping the championship to Carmelo Hayes, he’s felt lost in NXT. At some point, he’s going to go to the main roster, but it almost seems like the moment for that to happen at the height of his popularity has slipped by. WWE shouldn’t leave Stratton on NXT for too long, especially as the women’s divisions on both Raw and SmackDown need shots in the arms.

Tiffany Stratton walked on the NXT No Mercy, a bigger star than when she came in. She didn’t get her hand raised, but the mission was successful. Lynch’s power as a top name was enough to carry Stratton forward. Now, WWE must keep that momentum going if she’s going to become the future of the women’s division.