WWE officially strips SmackDown champion after recent injury
WWE confirms Naomi as the new Women’s Tag Team Champion, replacing Jade Cargill after a mysterious attack in November.
Naomi has been officially recognized as one half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions alongside Bianca Belair. The change comes after serving as a replacement following a backstage attack on former champion Jade Cargill prior to Survivor Series.
The championship status update was reflected on WWE’s official roster page following the RAW Netflix premiere. The change had been acknowledged on television since December 20, when Naomi and Belair successfully defended the titles against Nia Jax and Candice LeRae on SmackDown.
The transition in championship status began after Cargill was found attacked backstage before Survivor Series, leading to her removal from the WarGames match. Bayley stepped in as her replacement for that contest, while Naomi has since been fulfilling championship duties alongside Belair.
Training and Return Status Updates
While away from television, Cargill has maintained an active schedule at the WWE Performance Center. Recent reports from PWInsider indicate she has been balancing training with non-WWE projects during her absence.
A PWInsider source provided clarity on the situation:
I don’t care what you read online, okay? Jade Cargill is injured, it’s serious, and I don’t know when she is going to be back.
Dave Meltzer offered additional perspective on the conflicting reports:
In recent weeks we’ve had multiple people internally say she’s injured, as is the angle, and others who weren’t sure, later said she was injured while others say she isn’t. We’ve gotten and seen reports from people internally who have said 100 percent she’s injured factually and others who say the opposite. Literally whatever it is, there are multiple people being told different things although those at the highest level are saying injured. I got a pretty detailed description from someone high on the food chain of what happened and they said that she is absolutely injured … Nobody seems to understand why the other story of what they ‘know’ is going around.
WWE had previously detailed Cargill’s injuries following the attack:
After suffering a mysterious attack on SmackDown, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Jade Cargill has been diagnosed with numerous injuries including deep lumbar paraspinal muscle contusions, a bruised kidney, a sprained MCL in her right knee, a tibial plateau bone bruise of her right knee, and facial lacerations.
Multiple creative pitches have been made regarding the identity of Cargill’s attacker, though specific details remain under wraps. Online speculation has centered around several potential candidates, including Belair, Naomi, and Bayley.