During her gymnastics heyday, Jessica Woynilko was a shining light of persistence, dedication, and resilience. As one of the top three gymnasts in the country on the double mini trampoline, her journey seemed destined for even greater heights. However, an unexpected injury ended her career in midair, making her take a path in her life nobody would ever want to be put on, and became Tiffany Stratton.
Woynilko’s determination was so high that she was able to take part in the best of the best competitions. She became the representative of Team USA on a global scale. But she had to admit that she could not because of a fracture in her foot. However, due to shyness, she had to let go of her gymnastics career when she was at her peak. She said goodbye to gymnastics—the decision that meant the end of one stage and the beginning of a new one in the professional wrestling arena.
“My coaches never pushed me”: Jessica Woynilko reflected on her gymnastics journey
Jessica Woynilko, better known to WWE fans as Tiffany Stratton, attributes her success in gymnastics to her own relentless determination rather than external pressures. “It’s never my coaches pushing me; it was always me wanting to do the hard work, the conditioning, the strengths of doing the routines over and over,” she shared. How and why Tiffany Stratton had to let go of her gymnastics career, which she loved the most?
Tiffany Stratton was seen in conversation with TJ Haag in 2020 on his The Not So F—in’ Ordinary Show and shared the story behind her injury and how she didn’t show up to the doctor. She said that gymnastics helped her learn how to work hard. Tiffany said, “I believe in 2017, I ended up like stress fracturing my foot, and I didn’t know it at the time, so I was like pushing through this injury every single day, obviously.” In 2016, she was in the top three gymnasts in the country in the double mini trampoline, and after a few months, her things started getting worse—she got injured while doing the trampoline. She performed in five events from 2016 to 2017, including the 2016 USA Gymnastics Championships.
“I was at the highest point of my career at this time. I wanted to make the national team. I wanted to do this. I wanted to make a Worlds team, which is the highest level you can go before the Olympics. So I kept pushing and pushing and pushing,” Tiffany Stratton shared. She was asked to go to Canada and compete for Team USA, but little did she know, it would be her last presence as a gymnast. Her foot was injured at that time, and she was not aware that she had a stress fracture.
Stratton further said, “Everyone was kind of like rising from talking. I was just in pain the entire time. I still performed my routines but ended up messing up one of my passes, so it didn’t go as planned.” She was in so much pain, and how come no one did anything? That’s because no one knew about her injury; Stratton didn’t tell her coaches, international staff, or teammates, as she was very shy back then. She also shared that she even didn’t go to the doctor; she said, “I got back from the competition and kind of took some time off. I never went to the doctor. Then nationals came, and I think I can do that at nationals. No, I didn’t. So I went to the doctor a few weeks later, now back from Canada.”
That’s when she got to know about the seriousness of the injury because the doctor asked her to get surgery. She explained, “The doctor told me, either you get surgery, or we can try putting you in a boot for six months and see if it gets better. I never got surgery. I didn’t want to go under the needle and risk my life. So we did that, and I feel all right.” That surgery ended her gymnastics career, and she doesn’t have any regrets about losing gymnastics as her sport. As she said, “It was just time for me to move on. And thank God I did.” After moving on from gymnastics, Tiffany Stratton shifted her career to WWE.
Was Woynilko’s shift from gymnastics to WWE worth 0r not?
After quitting gymnastics due to a stress fracture, Jessica Woynilko transitioned to professional wrestling, joining WWE under the ring name Tiffany Stratton. Was it Jessica Woynilko who decided to go for wrestling? And the answer is no, it was her mother, who decided for her daughter. Her mother came in contact with pro wrestling coach Greg Gagne and requested he mold her daughter’s talent for pro wrestling. It all started in 2021.
Was it only Gagne who helped Stratton in professional wrestling? Ken ‘Mr. Kennedy’ Anderson also helped her refine her wrestling skills, and man, what she has done in her wrestling. Maybe wrestling was the only career that was meant for her. You never know. After finishing her training, Woynilko appeared for a WWE tryout and was taken in by the WWE Performance Center. She made her NXT debut on December 28, 2021.
Interestingly, she became the only female member of the batch who graduated from the developmental brand of NXT. What has she achieved being a WWE professional? She ranked No. 25 of the top 250 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Women’s 250 in 2023 and also received Breakout Star of the Year (2023). In 2024, Stratton became NXT Superstar of the Year (2024). If that was not enough for her in such a short period, she has received a big honor.
After helping Nia Jax defend her championship against Naomi and later turning on both Jax and Candice LeRae, Stratton cashed in her Money in the Bank contract on Jax to win the WWE Women’s Championship on the January 3, 2025, episode of SmackDown. After being promoted from NXT, this is her first victory on the main roster. It is to be seen how her WWE journey will be shaped in the future. What do you think about the shift from gymnastics to WWE? Was it worth it? Do tell us in the comments below.
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