By Richard Jackson WWE Superstar Jade Cargill suffered a major concussion on this week’s episode of SmackDown. The Storm busted her head open after a nasty botch from Nia Jax when the latter dropped her face-first into the steel steps by the ringpost. Here’s what we know about the 33-year-old’s health so far.
Jade Cargill was competing for the WWE Women’s Championship in a Triple Threat match against Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax. After the bout was over, fans witnessed WWE’s medical team escorting Cargill with a towel pressed against her head to keep the heavy bleeding under control.
Notably, the former AEW star suffered a deep gash just above her eye. While Cargill wasn’t stretchered out of Orlando’s Kia Center, things still looked pretty serious for her. So far, WWE has not released any official update on the status of The Storm.
Cargill has released a picture of her face following the incident, which shows how brutal her wound is. You may click here to see the image uploaded on her official Instagram account.
Nia Jax lesionó a Kairi Sane en 2021 realizando este mismo spot.
Anoche lastimó a Jade Cargill y no aprendió del error.#Smackdown
pic.twitter.com/AzGQUS7Nlr
The conclusion of the match saw Tiffany Stratton retain the title yet again. However, the fans aren’t pleased with the brutal and unsafe way in which Cargill got injured at the hands of Jax.
Many fans are already linking this with how the former two-time WWE Women’s Champion had injured Kairi Sane by similarly tossing her into the steel steps back in 2020. Moreover, this wasn’t the only mistake made by The Irresistible Force this Friday.
Nia Jax Committed Another Serious Botch That Threw Fans Off
The final moments of the match saw Jade Cargill landing an Eye of The Storm on Nia Jax and going for the pin. The Irresistible Force kicked out, only to find Tiffany Stratton sending Cargill away with a Basement Dropkick, and going for the pin without landing any offense on her.
Despite this, Jax just lay down with her eyes closed and didn’t kick out. But the referee, Daphanie LaShaunn, stopped and didn’t hit the canvas a third time. The botch was painfully visible as the 41-year-old tried to move her shoulder off the ring in a lazy way.
Not wasting much time, The Buff Barbie landed The Prettiest Moonsault Ever to pin Jax once and for all, and continuing her reign as the WWE Women’s Champion. This was something very unexpected, especially from a veteran like Nia Jax.
The referee is never seen stopping the count during a match if the wrestler being pinned doesn’t kick out in time. This has led to several off-script changes in the intended results of several matches across history. But with what happened this week on SmackDown, the power of the referee’s hand got somewhat diluted because of Nia Jax.
What’s Next for Jade Cargill?
Jade Cargill has been after the WWE Women’s Championship ever since she ended her injury hiatus at the 2025 Elimination Chamber. The Storm became this year’s Queen of the Ring to earn her maiden shot at the title held by Tiffany Stratton at SummerSlam.
The 33-year-old had almost captured the belt, but Tiffy’s feet ended up touching the ropes when Cargill went for the pin after landing her finisher, Jaded. The former AEW star eventually lost the match, and Stratton retained her gold. This week on SmackDown, The Storm lost another title shot as The Buff Barbie came out on top once again.
Earlier, it was speculated that Jade Cargill would end up winning the WWE Women’s Championship and go on to face Naomi in Perth for the Crown Jewel Championship. After all, the former allies now share deep hatred for each other because of The Glow’s betrayal back in October 2024.
Right now, Naomi is out of action and on maternity leave, and it doesn’t seem that The Storm will get another title shot anytime soon. Moreover, it also remains to be seen if she is fit enough for in-ring competition after suffering the deep cut above her eye.
Do you think Jade Cargill will be able to make a comeback and defeat Tiffany Stratton anytime soon? Or will Triple H reserve her til the end for the 2026 Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 42, like he did with Jey Uso and Gunther? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
