Jade Cargill is opening up about the realities of jumping straight to WWE’s main roster, and what she feels she missed by bypassing NXT.
During a recent interview with Joey Karni, Cargill reflected on her unique path to WWE in 2024, skipping the traditional NXT development route that many Superstars take before reaching the main roster. While the opportunity fast-tracked her career, she admitted it also came with challenges she didn’t fully anticipate at the time.
“It’s a lot of things I feel like I missed at NXT, and you don’t see that until you’re actually in the storm,” Cargill said. “But the crazy schedule that is here, I was used to working one day a week, and then I come here and you’re on the go all the time. All the time. And I remember when I was in the tag team, I wouldn’t call it complaining because I wasn’t used to it, but I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re working this show and this show and this show.’ I wasn’t used to being on the go like this. People can take that as complaining but it was just me not knowing about how much we give ourselves to the WWE Universe.”
That adjustment period clearly hit hard.
Cargill went on to explain that beyond the demanding travel schedule, she also missed out on the deeper connections that many WWE talents build during their time in NXT.
From shared road stories to in-ring familiarity, she acknowledged feeling like an outsider stepping into an already tight-knit locker room.
“But also the camaraderie of the locker room and just building that trust with my co-workers and things like that, and when I say that it’s people have these stories of having road trips and things of that sort and I never worked a live event before I got here. That’s another thing, they have stories that go back years, and I sit there and I’m like, ‘Well, I just met you guys.’ We don’t have that depth. But storytelling, and then on top of that, just them knowing your overall character and your move set. So when I came, people really didn’t know my character and what I was about. I think we’re getting there and seeing how raw I am. I don’t need a script, just let me talk. I can talk my stuff. I might curse here and there. I’m getting better at that. But that’s because I’m feeling it and I have to reel back at times and I get a little nervous. So I think they’re trusting me more with that kind of stuff.”
Still, it’s clear she’s finding her footing.
Jade Cargill made her official WWE debut at the 2024 Royal Rumble.
