Jade Cargill Signs WWE Contract After AEW Exit; NXT or Main Roster Debut ‘Unclear’

WWE informed ESPN’s Marc Raimondi on Tuesday that it has signed former AEW star Jade Cargill, confirming rumors that began two weeks ago.

The company noted that Cargill is officially starting with WWE on Tuesday and will report to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, although it is “unclear” if he televised debut will take place on the main roster or in NXT, per Raimondi.

Cargill spent the first three years of her pro wrestling career in AEW, but PWInsider.com’s Mike Johnson reported last week that her contract with the company was believed to have expired, and she was expected to report to the Performance Center.

It was later reported by Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) that WWE viewed signing Cargill as a “big thing” and planned to give her a “focal push” due to the fact that she was offered a contract bigger than the ones typically given to newcomers.

Cargill has an athletic background, as she played college basketball at Jacksonville University, but she didn’t start pro wrestling training until 2019.

In 2020, Cargill signed with AEW without ever having wrestled an official match, and she made her in-ring debut on the March 3, 2021, episode of Dynamite, teaming with Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal to beat Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet.

Cargill essentially learned on the fly in AEW, winning a series of squash matches before being given more and more time in the ring.

In addition to winning her first 60 matches, Cargill was the inaugural TBS champion, winning a tournament to secure the title.

It wasn’t until Double or Nothing in May that Cargill suffered her first loss, as she fell to Kris Statlander, who returned from injury and challenged Jade to an impromptu match.

After taking about four months off, Cargill returned this month and challenged Statlander to a rematch, but Statlander was victorious, and it became apparent at that point that Jade was on her way out of AEW.

While Rhodes remains the biggest name to jump from AEW to WWE, Cargill is the first major homegrown star to do so, as Rhodes was developed in the WWE system.

WWE already boasts a women’s division that is stacked with top-flight talent, and there is little doubt that Cargill has the “it factor” needed to reach the heights of Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Asuka, Bayley and Iyo Sky.

Cargill already has her look, charisma and character down pat, and working with such a strong women’s roster in WWE should allow her to reach the next level as an in-ring performer as well.

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