Tiffany Stratton needs the big win over Bianca Belair on SmackDown

There’s a major women’s match scheduled for the May 17 edition of WWE SmackDown. Bianca Belair will take on Tiffany Stratton to see who moves on to the SmackDown final for the 2024 Queen of the Ring. It’s a huge match because it pits a current top star in Belair against an individual that many see as a top star of the future in Stratton. This will be the proverbial “heat check” for Stratton to see if WWE is ready to push her in a way that fans want to see.

In seven years, Bianca Belair has become an icon in professional wrestling. The EST is a multiple-time champion, including the 420-day run that cemented her place near the top of the women’s division. She’s main-evented a WrestleMania and is one-half of the current women’s tag team champions with Jade Cargill.

Outside of not holding titles in NXT, Belair has done nearly everything there is to achieve as a woman on the roster, and the fans responded in kind. The support they have for her transcends what she does in the ring, helping her to take the steps toward becoming a crossover star. Belair is an example of what happens when the right WWE performer gets the true power of WWE’s promotional machine behind them.

But fans should be ready for that position to be challenged by Stratton. When she debuted two years ago, fans initially rolled their eyes at her gimmick, as the prototypical mean girl. However, Stratton would quickly eclipse that stereotype and show that she has the makings of a performer that this division can be built around for years to come. Her standout moments came when she and Becky Lynch battled for the NXT Women’s Championship, and her momentum really hasn’t stopped since.

WrestleOps recently posted on Twitter that as of May 12, Stratton was the second-highest seller for women’s apparel in WWE. Behind only Liv Morgan. And that comes after just a few months on the main roster. Stratton has caught fire and the fan support is mounting. Many of them want to see her get a big win over Belair on Friday.

The opening round match between Belair and Candice LeRae opened the door for that defeat. Indi Hartwell attacked Belair’s knee which she played up backstage. This can lead to an angle where LeRae and Hartwell become number one contenders for Cargill and Belair – which puts their focus on the tag team titles, where they should be. But that also creates the space for Stratton to move one step closer to winning the 2024 tournament. She’s the favorite to take it all home and this allows her to pick up a big accolade this year before heading into an eventual long-term feud with Bayley.

WWE has a wealth of talented women on the roster. Bianca Belair is seen as one of the leaders in that group. However, nothing can stop the youth movement. Tiffany Stratton is one of those youngsters and she will pick up a big win over Belair on SmackDown.