Jade Cargill, the inaugural TBS Champion, is widely viewed as one of the most impressive athletes on the AEW roster. Given her remarkable undefeated streak in singles action, dating back to last March, it’s easy to forget that Cargill’s path to stardom didn’t follow many of her peers.
Whereas many other “All Elite” stars came up on the independent circuit, the powerhouse has been learning on the job by frequently performing on national television. Some fans disapprove of Cargill’s lack of this usual background, and they often criticize her for it, but the champion isn’t bothered by this negativity.
In an interview with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri, Cargill described how she’s learning as she goes. She admitted that she’s “raw”, but she believes she’ll only get better from here. the champion noted that even the best wrestlers need some time to find themselves in the business.
“In this industry, you have to pay your dues,” Cargill said. “A lot of people come from the indies where they built up a fan background. They put in the time, they put in work. They’ve dealt with situations. They know what works and what doesn’t work. I’m raw. I’m learning on the job and a lot of people probably don’t like that. That’s fine. You like what you like. Some people like mangoes and some people don’t like mangoes, and that’s OK.
“But people have to understand that it only goes up from here. I don’t want to say this in the wrong way. I understand, maybe you back another person. I applaud you, that’s great. They probably put the work on the indies. That’s frickin’ amazing. But you have to understand that this sport takes time and some people don’t even get comfortable in their skin. I think in the interview that Bryan [Danielson] did recently, he said that he didn’t even feel comfortable until seven years [in]. I’ve just started my first year. I probably had one match a month at that point.”
Cargill also discussed her coaches and named Dustin Rhodes as a veteran who works closely with her. She recalled how he recently held her accountable for a mistake. The TBS Champion then emphasized that she’s “rolling”, regardless of whether fans approve of her ongoing education as a wrestler.
“I think Dustin came up to me this past week. … He’s such a fatherly figure and he doesn’t, excuse my language, he doesn’t cater to the bulls—. He’s very much like, ‘This looks bad, this looks good. No, no, no, no, no, no. I don’t care what excuse you have. This is what you have to do.’ Because at the end of the day, holding the belt is a privilege. I’m learning on the job, yeah, and a lot of people don’t think that champions should learn on the job, which is fair enough in their aspect in their world. But hey, I’m rolling. I’m keeping it moving.”
Cargill will compete in another high-profile match on Sunday when she defends her title against Tay Conti at AEW Revolution.
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