What Does Smackdown’s Newest Signing Bring to the Main Roster in 2026?

In the main event of the August 7th edition of SmackDown, Charlotte Flair went one-on-one with Jade Cargill. Just when ‘The Queen’ was about to pick up the win against Cargill, Michin and B-FAB showed up to help their friend and distract Flair. The numbers advantage against Flair wouldn’t last long, as Alexa Bliss made her return to SmackDown following an injury suffered against Cargill months ago. That wasn’t the only surprise, however, as the lights suddenly went off in the arena. When they came back on, Tatum Paxley appeared on top of the ring post, leaping off and delivering a cross-body to Michin and B-FAB. This distraction allowed Flair to even the odds and deliver a Natural Selection to win. Paxley’s presence on SmackDown was a surprising one, and it now looks as if she will remain on the blue brand. After her adventure in NXT, what does Paxley bring to the main roster and how high is her ceiling in the SmackDown Women’s Division?

Paxley signed her WWE contract in 2021 but wouldn’t make her official appearance until 2022, when she showed up on NXT. She would spend the majority of her first year on NXT Level Up before transitioning to a more prominent character on NXT. Her most memorable storyline came when she aided Lyra Valkyria during a beatdown by Lola Vice and Elektra Lopez, creating a new friendship between them. Her partnership with Valkyria was well-received by the NXT crowd, and even after she eventually turned on her, the friendship is still talked about today. It would take a few more years before Paxley finally won gold at NXT. In October 2025, she would capture the NXT Women’s Championship against Jacy Jayne, but would only hold the belt for 24 days, marking it the shortest reign in the title’s history. A few months later, Paxley would capture the NXT Women’s Championship, becoming the second women’s wrestler since Stephanie Vaquer to win the NXT Women’s and NXT Women’s North American championships.  She would hold it for 94 days before losing it to Zaria. Paxley would lose in what was her final match on NXT against Kelani Jordan before disappearing from the brand.

Now that Paxley has made her way up to the main roster, there are certainly main directions WWE can go with her character. Since she’s been sent to SmackDown as a helping hand to Flair and Bliss, she could easily be used as a way to separate them as a tag team. Paxley’s disturbing character could work perfectly with Bliss’ hidden and demented character, and putting them together as a way to have Flair go on her own as a singles competitor once again can happen. Paxley might be on SmackDown now, but another storyline WWE could tell with her is a tag team reunion with Valkyria. Their chemistry on NXT was perfect, and there is no doubt that partnership could be rekindled on the main roster. Whether it’s to team or to set up a feud between the two, Paxley and Valkyria certainly have unfinished business. When it comes to how far Paxley can go on the main roster, there truly is no limit. When comparing Paxley’s arrival on NXT to the character she has become, it’s like night and day. She’s more comfortable in her character, and her baby face persona is easily likable to many. Although she only held the NXT Women’s Championship for a short time, her path to victory was well-received.  The worst thing WWE could do with Paxley is keep her on the shelf with nothing to do, just as they are doing with other women such as Blake Monroe and Jordynne Grace, who WWE has seemingly fumbled in her main roster presentation. Paxley’s character can work anywhere she is placed, whether it’s in the Tag Team Division, the midcard, or in the main event scene.

Paxley received a positive reaction upon making her main roster debut, which means many people know who she is and where she came from. While it seems that WWE plans on having her mix it up in the Women’s Tag Team Division, she will eventually flourish into a top star on the main roster sooner rather than later. She’s more than capable of winning everything in her path, with the full support of the WWE Universe by her side. Wherever WWE has her, she will come out looking like a top star.