New WWE Signing Jade Cargill: "I Want to Headline WrestleMania."
Cargill has her sights on the grandest stage.
The hype is real for Jade Cargill's WWE debut. The longest-reigning titleholder in AEW history officially signed with WWE earlier this week, and her new home rolled out the red carpet for her. Cargill was showcased all over WWE's social channels, with the company sharing images and videos from her arrival at the WWE Performance Center to her first in-ring session. This treatment immediately received comparisons to Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles, as both of those highly-touted superstars received similar acclaim upon their WWE arrivals in 2022 and 2016, respectively. The high hopes for Cargill in WWE go both ways, as the former AEW TBS Champion emphasized she wants to reach the mountaintop of professional wrestling.
Jade Cargill Wants WrestleMania Main Event
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, new WWE signing Jade Cargill pointed to a WWE WrestleMania main event as one of her goals moving forward.
"I understand what I'm here for. I want to capture gold and I want to headline WrestleMania, but none of that is handed out," Cargill said. "I want to work to create those phenomenal moments. I want to have marquee matches, I want to get people talking, and I want to create something bigger than myself."
Cargill is just the third AEW talent to jump ship to WWE since that company was formed in 2019, following in the footsteps of Cody Rhodes and Brian Pillman Jr. There might have been more too had WWE not gone on a hiring freeze earlier this year. The sports-entertainment giant held off on bringing in new stars as it prepared for its sale to Endeavor and merger with UFC.
Now that that deal has been finalized and WWE exists under the newly-minted TKO banner, Cargill noted that this makes her the first signing of that TKO era.
"That means I have even more to prove," Cargill said. "I'm going to show there is no one like me. I've proved everybody wrong my entire life. That's been my journey. I'm undeniable. Always bet on Jade. If people still don't like me, I bet you they still tune in."
It's currently unknown as to when Cargill will debut on WWE TV, but it has been confirmed that she already knows which brand she will be performing on. That could mean her debut comes as soon as this Friday on WWE SmackDown.