Tiffany Stratton is officially headed to SummerSlam after the July 17 episode of WWE SmackDown—but not everyone is celebrating.
After the WWE Women’s United States Champion defeated Jacy Jayne to qualify for the Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match, fans flooded Twitter, questioning why someone who already holds a title is getting another championship opportunity instead of defending the one she already has. One of the loudest complaints was that WWE introduced the Women’s United States Championship only to immediately shift its champion into the world title picture.
“She already has a f***** title! Let her defend it. Why did you even introduce the US Championship in the first place? It’s always the same people, man. Triple H is awful at his job.”
Others pointed out what they saw as inconsistent booking. Some fans remembered the backlash Liv Morgan received for competing in the Queen of the Ring tournament while holding championship gold and argued WWE is now doing the exact same thing with Stratton.
“After everyone b**** about Liv being in KOTR tournament being a champion. We got this bullshit again with another champion. #f***wwe #f***tko summerslam can f***off!”
Many fans also felt WWE missed a chance to elevate someone new. Instead of giving another Superstar a career-changing opportunity, they believe the company went back to an established champion who already has plenty to do heading into SummerSlam.
“Why is this broad in the match WHEN SHE ALREADY HAS A CHAMPIONSHIP!!! Can we please give other people a chance.”
Others questioned why the Women’s United States Championship suddenly seems less important than it did when WWE introduced it, arguing Stratton should already be locked into a title defense instead of chasing another championship.
“This is the s***why I don’t pay for anything WWE anymore. You have a US Champion qualifying for a WWE Championship. She should be in a story to defend her championship at SummerSlam, but you bring this slop of a s*** show.”
It didn’t stop there as another fan directly called out WWE for the same exact issue, as they said:
“Dear @WWE, one quick question. WHY IS THE CURRENT US CHAMPION COMPETING FOR ANOTHER TITLE!!?? You keep doing the same stupid thing over and over!”
The controversy started after WWE announced an Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match following Rhea Ripley’s injury. On SmackDown, Stratton defeated Jacy Jayne to become the first Superstar to qualify, while Jade Cargill later earned a spot after defeating Nia Jax by disqualification when Charlotte Flair got involved.
Whether the criticism changes anyone’s mind remains to be seen, but one thing became clear almost immediately after SmackDown went off the air—many fans think WWE should have been building Tiffany Stratton toward defending one championship, not chasing a second one.
Do you think WWE made the right call by putting Tiffany Stratton in the Interim Women’s Championship match, or should she be focused on defending the Women’s United States Title? Let us know in the comments below.
