How A WWE Superstar & MLB All-Star Met & Married

Wrestling fans are fascinated by couples in the business, especially since we see these people in kayfabe on TV, only to find out behind the scenes that some of them are in love, or married, or even have kids. Most of us know that Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch are together, as are Rhea Ripley and Buddy Matthews, Jon Moxley and Renee Paquette, and many more. SmackDown’s Jade Cargill has a famous spouse as well, but hers doesn’t come from the world of wrestling. Jade is married to former Major League Baseball star Brandon Phillips.

Who Is Baseball Player Brandon Phillips?

Phillips Was A Multiple-Time All-Star

• Phillips played second base for five different teams.
• His most notable run was his decade with the Cincinnati Reds.
• He had over 2,000 hits and 200 home runs during his career.

Just because professional wrestling and baseball are both sports doesn’t mean that their fandoms are intertwined, so although you might watch WWE and AEW every week, you could have no clue who Shohei Ohtani is. Likewise, the biggest Aaron Judge fan may have never heard of Cody Rhodes. So let’s fill you in on the greatness of Brandon Phillips.

For an impressive 16 years, Brandon Phillips was a Major League Baseball player for five different teams. After spending three years with the Cleveland Indians, he found his biggest success with the Cincinnati Reds. He was there playing second base for a decade. As he got older, and his skills started to decline, Phillips played for a different team every year, doing one-season stints for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, and Boston Red Sox. When Phillips retired in 2018, it was with some very impressive stats. He ended up with 2,029 hits, 211 home runs, and 951 RBIs. He was a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glover, and the winner of the 2011 Silver Slugger Award. Although he’s probably just under Hall of Fame level, if you’re a Cincinnati Reds fan, Brandon Phillips is a legend.

How Did Jade Cargill and Brandon Phillips Meet?

They Had The Same Manager

• Cargill wrote about her relationship in The Player’s Tribune.
• They noticed each other at a Starbucks.
• Cargill, who was living in France and working as a model, didn’t want to date an athlete.

On May 26, 2022, Jade Cargill had an article she wrote about herself in The Player’s Tribune titled, um, “I’m That Bitch”. Written during her AEW days, she talked about her life and how she found her love for wrestling. She also wrote about how she found the love of her life.

“I met Brandon when I was 22 years old, in 2015. I’d started modeling, and my manager was actually a childhood friend of his. And one day, my manager and I were meeting at a Starbucks — and then directly after, I guess he was meeting up with Brandon. So I was walking out the door as Brandon was walking in, like a rom-com or something. And I guess he noticed me and asked about me. Like, “Who was that??”

At the time, Phillips was still playing with the Cincinnati Reds and Jade wasn’t sure she wanted to date an athlete. On top of that, she was living in France and working as a model. However, Brandon persisted for four months.

“But he was trying, trying, trying. And eventually I was like, ‘Alright. Give him my number. Let’s see where this goes.'”

Brandon Phillips is eleven years older than Jade Cargill, but the age difference didn’t stop them. The two eventually fell in love and got married. Cargill wrote:

“Brandon is a goofy, fun-loving man, and I’m very similar, so we just mesh. He’s the person that calms me down, I guess you could say. He’s my peace.”

Jade Cargill And Brandon Phillips Have A Daughter Together

Phillips Has Attended Several AEW & WWE Shows

• Mark Henry got Jade Cargill into wrestling.
• The couple owns a Women’s Professional Fastpitch team.
• Cargill kissed Brandon Phillips during a recent match on SmackDown.

Everything in Jade and Brandon’s lives changed when Cargill met Mark Henry. Suddenly, she was training to be a wrestler. In The Player’s Tribune, she wrote that Phillips supported her the whole way, even if he didn’t get why she’d want to take such a risk when she had a comfortable life.

“And I just said to him, ‘Brandon, as an athlete, you should understand more than anybody. I never got the chance to see what I can really do. This is my second chance.’ I think he got it when I put it like that.”

The risk worked out. Jade Cargill was a huge star in AEW, becoming the inaugural TBS Champion, and with a lengthy undefeated streak to go along with it. Before her wrestling career took off, the couple had a daughter named Bailey Quinn in 2017. Today, they co-own a Women’s Professional Fastpitch team called the Texas Smoke, but if you’ve paid attention, you’ve also seen Brandon Phillips in AEW and WWE.

Phillips has sat in the front row at many of Cargill’s matches, and one time their daughter actually got involved in one of Jade’s AEW feuds. Sometimes the camera finds Brandon in the crowd, but often he is left alone. They made some headlines a few weeks ago when, during a SmackDown match in Dayton, Ohio, Cargill rolled out of the ring and gave her husband a quick kiss. I was there in the arena for it and caught a sweet moment that summed up the couple. Phillips watched his wife’s match intently, and soon as it was over, instead of going up the ramp, she went into the crowd and Brandon followed her to the back. After spending time with Jade backstage, he eventually returned to his seat to watch the rest of the show. It looks like Brandon Phillips is not only a Jade Cargill fan, but a wrestling fan too.