Tiffany Stratton Says WWE Never Planned Her Babyface Turn

Tiffany Stratton’s babyface turn wasn’t part of any grand WWE strategy—it happened because the fans simply wouldn’t boo her anymore.

The SmackDown star opened up about her unexpected character shift during her appearance on No-Contest Wrestling with O’Shea Jackson Jr. Stratton, who had spent the early years of her NXT and main roster run as a heel, explained that turning face wasn’t something she or WWE had planned.

“I never changed anything. I just started getting cheered,” Stratton said bluntly.

According to Stratton, the turning point came at WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 in Perth, Australia—her first Premium Live Event appearance as a member of the main roster. Despite just being called up a month earlier, the crowd made it clear they already loved her.

“The crowd completely, like, knew who I was. They were chanting ‘Tiffy Time’ the whole time,” she recalled. “At first, I was like, ‘Are they chanting for me?’… I started giggling. I think there’s a video. I just started laughing because, like, I was like, there’s no way they’re cheering for me right now.”

That match, which came shortly after her call-up, became a pivotal moment in her career.

“It almost gave me, like, an adrenaline rush, and it gave me more confidence. But I also, like, put a little bit more pressure on myself, because I’m like, ‘Okay, now they’re chanting for me. I have them like, I hope I don’t mess anything up’… that match was so amazing… it was my breakout moment.”

Despite now being one of SmackDown’s top babyfaces, Stratton admitted that playing a heel comes much more naturally to her.

“I think being a heel is 10 times easier than being a babyface. You can mess up and you can fall on your butt and, you know, like, that’s totally fine as a heel. However, as a babyface, if you do that, the crowd could turn on you,” she explained. “You’re supposed to be like the face of the company.”

WWE has made it clear to her that she doesn’t need to ditch her entire act—just dial it down a bit.

“That is what got me cheered, but they’re kind of just like, you know, ‘be a little bit more likable now. You don’t need to be so bitchy in your promos,’ which, like, I understand completely.”

Stratton’s rise on SmackDown has been fueled by genuine fan support, something she never saw coming. But it’s clear she’s working hard to embrace this new role—and still learning how to deliver her lines without too much edge.