Former AEW Champion Signs Multi-Year Contract With WWE

Jade Cargill is heading to WWE after spending two years at AEW.

By Brian Jones

WWE just added one of the top stars from All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The professional wrestling company announced it has signed Jade Cargill to a multi-year contract. ESPN first reported the news, and Cargill will start with WWE on Tuesday at its Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. It's not clear if Cargill will start on the main roster or be sent to its developmental brand NXT. 

Fightful Select first reported that Cargill was finishing up with AEW following the Sept. 13 episode of AEW Dynamite. She wrestled on the Sept. 15 episode of AEW Rampage (taped on Sept. 13) losing to Krist Statlander in a match for the TBS Championship. 

Cargill, 31, made her professional wrestling debut with AEW in March 2021. In her first match, Cargill teamed up with Shaquille O'Neal against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet. She won that match and went on to win the TBS Champion in January 2022. Cargill held the title until May 2023, losing to Statlander at Double or Nothing. The loss was also Cargill's first defeat in her pro wrestling career. 

In an interview with TVLine, Cargill talked about feeling the added pressure to perform to excel as a Black woman in wrestling. "The normal wrestling fan isn't Black. I could say there's a separation there," Cargill said. "But at the end of the day, our fans love wrestling and if you know AEW, you're more of a hardcore fan. You know your wrestling. But I couldn't care less. My first match ever was on national TV and I'm still growing. I'm still experimenting with what works and what doesn't and I'm just going out there, doing the best that I can do and performing under a lot of criticism. I played sports my entire life and I do nothing but shine under pressure. That's something I've always done in the playoffs and in all kinds of sports, and this is no different."

Before joining AEW, Cargill had a tryout with WWE. Earlier this year, PopCulture.com spoke to Cargill about the advice she received from WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry. "He just reiterated that to me and told me to show my manners and show that I'm coachable, and to clean up, ask for if anyone needs help, put my head down," Cargill said. " He's a father figure to me. He's my father in wrestling. If I need any advice, if I need any help, he's the person to do that for me. But yes, he was there at my trial, and he gave me the best advice that I could ever get."

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