So, it really was Naomi who attacked Jade Cargill in November 2024.
Cargill had been off WWE programming rehabbing a real injury and honing her skills, but the promotion cooked up an awesome storyline to explain her absence.
Cargill returned with a vengeance at Elimination Chamber on March 1. She attacked Naomi at the start of the match, slamming her head in the chamber door before exiting while Bianca Belair—her former tag team partner—watched in horror from her pod.
The revenge attack was pulled off in a way that left some doubt as to whether Cargill had targeted the right person. Based on the confession Naomi gave in the middle of the ring on Friday Night SmackDown, it appears Cargill got the culprit.
Naomi confessed to attacking Cargill. She said she wished she had pushed her harder and called Belair an “ungrateful b****” before Cargill arrived and set off another beating on her attacker.
Take a look at the scene. Note the attires and the messaging being delivered with every ounce of the visuals.
Bianca began the segment dressed modestly, almost as if she was in mourning. It was a solid touch, considering she was supposed to be distraught over the discord between mutual friends.
She might have struggled a bit at the beginning of the mic work, but she found her stride a little earlier than midway through the promo. Once Naomi got there, business picked up, and so did the overall quality of the segment.
Naomi dug deep. The underrated WWE veteran mustered up real tears, voice breaks, and the kind of posture befitting the situation. I’m not sure what place Naomi had to go to mentally to convey this emotion, but she did it.
Sensing the challenge from her friend and counterpart, Bianca upped her game and found her groove. Naomi became appropriately more vicious as the desperation set in, with Bianca turning her back on her.
Once Cargill arrived, she walked past Bianca in a way that suggested there was still tension between the two former partners. When she reached Naomi, all hell broke loose, and Cargill ended the segment by hitting Jaded on the turncoat, who masterfully called out “Bianca!” as she was face-first on her way to the canvas.
Something tells me there is more on the way from this angle. I don’t believe it will be as simple as a Naomi heel turn and that’s it. I predict Cargill will also turn—or, if I stick to my original prediction, Bianca could still be the mastermind behind it all.
If there is something I’d like to see, it’s some incorporation of Montez Ford, Bianca’s real-life husband, into her story. That angle hasn’t ever been explored, and it seems like a good time to see if there is some life there.
In any case, this was good work and more strong storytelling from WWE. The promotion is on fire right now. Enjoy it, wrestling fans.
