WWE Women's Champion Jade Cargill may be holding gold, but she's losing the crowd. After wrestling only 7 minutes and 25 seconds on television since winning the championship nearly three months ago, fans are turning on the powerhouse star—and recent SmackDown segments with Jordynne Grace have made the disconnect impossible to ignore.
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The issue runs deeper than limited TV time. Cargill's cocky "That B***h" persona, and her promos telling Grace "this is my show" generate natural heel heat. She still has a lot of support, but the portion of the crowd who aren't buying it is growing - and responding with boos during what should be babyface moments.
Jade Cargill unphased
During an appearance on the Beyond the Bell podcast, Cargill said:
“I go out there and I’m gonna do the best I can do, to the best of my ability. And if y’all don’t like it, which today, people don’t like anything. Let’s be real. Fans don’t like anything that’s put out. It’s your problem, not mine.” “If people at the front office are happy, and my coworkers happy, and whomever was in the ring with me is happy, that’s all that matters.”
This pattern isn't new. Throughout her wrestling career, dating back to her November 2020 AEW debut, Cargill has been carefully protected with short matches designed to hide developmental gaps. Her record-breaking 508-day AEW TBS Championship reign featured primarily squash victories rarely exceeding five minutes. Four years into her career, that protection strategy now looks like a limitation.
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Wrestling history shows companies typically "double down" on struggling characters, tweaking presentation in hopes something clicks with audiences. WWE attempted this by turning Cargill heel in October 2024, leading to her championship victory at Saturday Night's Main Event. But the minimal TV time since winning the title—zero televised defenses as singles champion—suggests WWE remains uncertain how to maximize her strengths while minimizing weaknesses.
The Grace confrontation crystallizes the dilemma. When Grace posted "Marketable look vs undeniable work. Let's see whose show it really is," she articulated what fans increasingly believe: look and presence don't replace in-ring ability and audience connection.
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Cargill's social media response—"shut your short *** up before I step on you"—perfectly captured the arrogant heel persona fans want to see fully embraced on television.
The solution appears obvious: let Cargill be the dominant, trash-talking villain her character naturally embodies. Heel champions can work shorter matches, talk more trash, and generate genuine heat—all playing to her current strengths.
History shows audiences ultimately make these decisions regardless of company plans, and the boos during SmackDown segments suggest the choice has already been made.