On November 6, 1992, a 20-year-old Shaquille O’Neal made his NBA debut for the Orlando Magic, picking up 12 points, 3 blocks, and 18 rebounds against the Miami Heat — the most in an NBA debut since Bill Walton in 1974. After a week of games, Shaq became the first person in NBA history to be named Player of the Week in his first week in the league. He would continue to set records in his debut year, becoming the first rookie to start in the NBA All-Star game since Michael Jordan and winning the 1993 Rookie of the Year in a landslide vote.
Five months earlier, on June 3, 1992, 100 miles southeast of Orlando in Vero Beach, Florida, the current AEW TBS Champion, Jade Cargill, was born. Like Shaq, Cargill was athletically gifted from a young age — a three-time high school basketball Team MVP who helped her teams to two district championships. She continued to excel in basketball at Jacksonville University — where she graduated with a social science degree — being named to the Atlantic Sun Preseason First Team and leading in rebounds and steals for the 2012-13 season.
Not seeing a bright financial future in women’s basketball, Cargill ultimately put her hoop dreams on hold, choosing to raise a family with her partner, MLB All-Star Brandon Phillips, and earn her master’s in child psychology. But Cargill remained athletically inclined, continuing to work on her strength conditioning while also landing gigs as a fitness model. Eventually, her basketball past would come back into the picture when she crossed paths with Shaq in an entirely different sporting arena.
Once again, the location was Florida, this time the Daily’s Place amphitheater in Downtown Jacksonville — the open-roofed venue that housed Tony Khan’s All Elite Wrestling during the pandemic. On March 3, 2021, almost three decades since Shaq’s NBA debut, the basketball icon made his pro-wrestling debut alongside Cargill, also making her first in-ring appearance, live on TNT in front of 1.1 million viewers.
This match was the culmination of a divisive storyline that saw former AEW stars Cody and Brandi Rhodes embroiled in a vitriolic war of words with the NBA legend and the pro-wrestling newcomer. Teaming with Cody for the night was the fiery up-and-comer, Red Velvet, stepping in for the pregnant Brandi to take on the imposing duo of Cargill and Shaq. As with any celebrity-involved wrestling match, the potential for disaster was ever-present — add on top of that a rookie making her in-ring debut, a car crash spectacle was likely and even anticipated in some circles.
To the surprise of many, the match was a resounding success — an entertaining blockbuster chockful of shocks and thrills. And while Shaq might have grabbed the early headlines for his performance, which included an impressive crash landing through a table, Cargill was the true star. After all, this marquee match was designed as a platform to introduce Cargill to wrestling and introduce wrestling fans to Cargill. Sure, Shaq was the name that brought them into the building, but he’d soon be back jaw-jacking with Charles Barkley from the comfort of his studio desk. Cargill was the one with a multi-year AEW contract who would have to face the ruthlessly opinionated wrestling fans week in and week out. It was a high-pressure situation — trial by bodyslams and suplexes.
The match had its flaws and hiccups, to be expected of someone’s first-ever match, but Cargill carried herself with the confidence of someone who belonged. With a body that looked chiseled by Michelangelo and eye-catching platinum blond hair, she commanded attention the moment she walked onto the stage. It was evident from this one match that Cargill had the potential to be something special in the world of wrestling — she had that unquantifiable ‘it’ factor that just can’t be taught.
Jade Cargill’s Entry into Pro Wrestling
Wrestling wasn’t on the agenda for Cargill just a few years prior. In college, she had goals of becoming a psychologist, or a lobbyist, with a particular focus on health care. While growing up, she was drawn to wrestling’s Attitude Era and empowered by badass women like Chyna and Jacqueline, but a career in pro-wrestling was a completely alien concept. That changed when she met WWE Hall of Famer and current AEW broadcaster Mark Henry. The former strongman has had a distinguished in-ring career in his own right but has perhaps found even more success as a talent scout, responsible for finding future stars, including current WWE Women’s Champion Bianca Belair.
Impressed by her attitude and athleticism, Henry set Cargill up with a WWE tryout. Her journey once again took her to Florida, where she was one of several athletes in attendance at the company’s Performance Center in Orlando. “Henry told me how serious [the wrestling business] was,” Cargill said in an interview with Muscle & Fitness. “He told me about the time management that I would have to do, the dedication… being on the road all the time. When I went [to the try-out], I saw that it wasn’t as easy as I thought it was, but I love challenges, and this was something that I picked up and didn’t want to put back down.”
Cargill quickly caught the wrestling bug and now had a new goal to set her mind to — she was going to become a pro-wrestler. But she was going to do it on her own terms. Being independently wealthy by this point, money was not necessarily going to be the deciding factor in her career choices. With that in mind, it’s perhaps unsurprising that she turned down a contract offer from WWE — partly due to an off-putting interview process that saw her grilled about her commitment to the company.
“They were like, ‘we want you, we are going to sign you. But we are kind of worried about how bad you want this,” Cargill recalled on the Talk Is Jericho podcast. The discussion turned to Cargill’s then two-year-old daughter and how the young mother would balance her home life with her work life. Cargill had considered all of this already and thought about the precautions. “He was like, ‘yeah, yeah, yeah. I get what you’re saying, but this is your family now; I want you to know that.’ I was like, ‘I get it, I totally understand that, and I have thought about it, and I want it. I’ve been training for this; this is what I want.”
Cargill wasn’t lying; she was determined. After her WWE tryout, Henry had put her in touch with a number of wrestling schools, and she started training at the Face2Face Wrestling Academy in Atlanta, run by Richard Borger, Heath Slater, and Teddy Long. She was out there giving it her all, taking the bumps and earning the bruises, so WWE doubting her commitment left a sour taste.
Superstar or All Elite?
While Cargill was perusing her 100-page WWE contract and considering whether or not to sign on the dotted line, she was invited to attend an AEW taping in Jacksonville. The upstart promotion had debuted its weekly television show Dynamite on TNT in October 2019 and was off to a tremendous start. However, the pandemic shutdowns of 2020 stifled some of the company’s momentum, particularly with no live crowds in attendance. To help create some atmosphere at the shows, AEW started using roster members and extras at ringside. It was usually Austin Gunn stealing attention with his overenthusiastic heckling, but one Wednesday night in September 2020, fans’ eyes were drawn to a tall blond positioned at ringside.
Viewers continued to wonder who this mysterious woman was as Cargill became a regular at AEW events. Meanwhile, Cargill’s good friend and fellow pro-wrestler EJ Nduka urged her to sign her WWE contract. Nduka himself had signed a development deal with WWE in August 2019 and couldn’t understand Cargill’s hesitation. Well, Cargill would soon sign a contract — just not with WWE. After weeks of appearing in the crowd at AEW, Cargill eventually made her way into the ring to interrupt Cody mid-promo. It was official — Jade Cargill was All Elite.
“I came [to AEW], got the experience, and I felt calm,” she said on TIJ. “It made me feel at ease about the decision I wanted to make. I didn’t have to relocate; I felt at home. I could call [Tony Khan] and talk to him, and he knew my name. He knew my purpose, he knew that I wanted to do this, and that mattered to me. I wasn’t just a number. He knew exactly who I was, and that made me feel comfortable.”
Cargill’s decision came as a shock to Nduka. “I remember when I told him I was thinking about coming [to AEW], he couldn’t believe it. ‘Why would you ever choose AEW over WWE?’” Cargill recalled him saying. WWE had been the only game in town for almost 20 years, at least in scale, television exposure, revenue, and brand recognition. For many, like Nduka, WWE was the ultimate dream. AEW was still in its embryonic stages; sure, it had financial backing, a great TV deal, and an impressive roster, but it was (and is) a new and growing company. However, Cargill didn’t see that as a negative; she viewed it as part of the challenge.
“Yes, the other company was pissed off that they sent me a 100-page contract, but I made the best decision for my family and for myself,” she explained. “I’ve always been a believer and I’ve always been an underdog. I love being the underdog and we’re hungry. I want to be part of something that is hungry and wants to change things. That’s why I came here.”
She also felt more security at AEW at a time when WWE was releasing dozens upon dozens of wrestlers due to company-wide “budget cuts.” One of those released was Nduka, who was let go from WWE in May 2021, having never even had a chance to debut on television. “He was so for this company, and look at him,” Cargill said. “I’m like, ‘damn, that sucks. You were all about [WWE], we talked about this, you tried to convince me to come over, you just had a baby, your wife passed the bar in Florida for your career.’ It sucks. I know I made the best decision.”
In that same year, when other athletes from Cargill’s WWE tryout were either released from the company or still performing drill practice in the Performance Center, she was on prime-time TV, essentially learning on the job. Of course, there were stumbling blocks, but Cargill showed improvement with every match she had. She was now regularly training with AEW’s QT Marshall and wrestling legend Dustin Rhodes, adding new tricks to her repertoire. With that in-ring experience came a better sense of her character and an ability to connect with the audience. A masterful pairing with the sleazy ‘Smart’ Mark Sterling only added to the Jade Brand presentation, giving her a sidekick to bounce off and flex her promo muscles as she climbed up the ranks in AEW.
“Can it be nerve-wracking? It can be. Being compared to people that have been doing this for five and 10 years,” Cargill said of her time in AEW so far. “But people are experiencing something raw right now, and I’m not only on a journey myself, but everybody is on a journey with me, and they are going to see me continuously grow… I’m excited to show people tools that they have never seen before.”
Championship Material
On January 5, 2022, just 10 months after Cargill made her in-ring debut, she became AEW’s first-ever TBS Champion. To be entrusted with such responsibility so early in her career shows how important Cargill has become to the AEW brand. Since winning the title, Cargill’s confidence and star power have only grown. Her most recent work — including matches with Anna Jay and Marina Shafir — has been the best of her young career. This has translated into her mic work, too; compare her somewhat stilted first in-ring promo to her recent promo on Dynamite, where she talked with ease in front of a rowdy, packed-out crowd in Boston.
In just a little over a year, Cargill has garnered a loyal base of supporters and won over the most critical of naysayers. She’s even earned her share of celebrity admirers, such as High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens, Straight Outta Compton actor O’Shea Jackson Jr., and rapper Westside Gunn. It’s not a leap to imagine Cargill herself on the big screen one day — perhaps playing her dream role of Storm from The X-Men. “I love what [Storm] portrays. I love her character. I’m a strong black woman, and she’s a strong black woman,” Cargill told Bleacher Report.
For now, Cargill is focused on her AEW career, where she remains undefeated at 30-0. The former basketball hopeful has risen from unknown quantity to a reliable ratings draw. She’s gone from “Who’s that?” to “That bitch” within a year. In addition to winning the TBS Championship, she was recently named PWI’s 2021 Rookie of the Year and AEW’s Female Breakout Star of the Year. Her star will only continue to rise in the coming years as she perfects her craft and establishes her legacy.
In 30 years from now, Cargill should be able to look back on a legendary career that transcended her sport, just like Shaq. In fact, put money on it.
