WWE Champion Tiffany Stratton Loves Sinking Her Teeth Into This Guilty Pleasure | Sorry Not Sorry
There was a time when vampires absolutely ruled pop culture. They were practically everywhere. If you weren't choosing between Team Edward and Team Jacob, chances are you were arguing over whether Damon or Stefan Salvatore was the better boyfriend. For WWE Superstar Tiffany Stratton, though, there's only one obvious choice.
"For me, The Vampire Diaries," Stratton told JustWatch when asked to share her favorite series or movies. "I feel like there's a lot of people that watch that show, though. But I love The Vampire Diaries. It takes me back to that era when I watched it for the first time, and I was in high school. It's kind of like nostalgic for me. But I can always re-watch that entire show if I wanted to."
It's easy to see why Stratton loves the show so much. Premiering in 2009, The Vampire Diaries arrived right in the middle of the vampire craze and quickly became one of television's biggest supernatural dramas. Even though the series ended almost a decade ago, it doesn't take much to reignite online debates about the show's epically popular central love triangle.
Based on L. J. Smith's novel series, The Vampire Diaries follows Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), a high school student whose life changes after she falls for the mysterious Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). But things get complicated when Stefan's older brother, Damon (Ian Somerhalder), returns to town, dragging centuries of family drama and chaos back to Mystic Falls with him.
Vampire Shows Had Everyone Under Their Spell
Looking back now, it's easy to forget just how impossible it was to escape vampires during the late 1990s and 2000s. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), Angel (1999), True Blood (2008), Twilight (2008), and eventually The Vampire Diaries all arrived within a few years of each other, proving that audiences couldn't get enough of supernatural romance.
A big part of that appeal came down to one very familiar trope. The girl at the center of the story was usually kind, a little sad, and living a fairly ordinary life before meeting the mysterious boy who seemed dangerous to everyone except her. He might have been brooding and carrying centuries of emotional baggage, but underneath it all was someone fiercely protective of the person he loved.
Stefan and Damon Salvatore are almost two sides of that same fantasy. Stefan is the dependable boyfriend who is constantly wrestling with his darker instincts, while Damon leans into being the dangerous choice before slowly revealing there's more to him than sarcasm and impulsive decisions. That formula has never really disappeared, but audiences might look at it a little differently in 2026.
Although The Vampire Diaries certainly has its problematic moments, that doesn't necessarily mean the series has aged badly. It just reflects how much audiences have changed. Romantic leads are more likely to be red-flagged for certain behaviors than they were 15 years ago because viewers have become much better at separating fantasy from healthy relationships.
Why To Watch 'The Vampire Diaries' (And What To Watch After)
The Vampire Diaries is still an easy series to recommend since fiction has always been a place to explore messy, heightened romances that would never be sustainable in real life. It strikes the perfect balance between supernatural action, romance, and mystery to keep you hooked. And the chemistry between the three lead characters carries the show through its biggest twists.
The series also deserves credit for constantly raising the stakes. As the story expands to include witches, werewolves, the Originals, and other supernatural threats, it never completely forgets that the emotional relationships are what keep viewers invested. Some of the storylines falter a little. But for the most part, The Vampire Diaries is one of the most entertaining television shows of its era.
If finishing the series leaves you wanting another dose of vampire romance, Twilight is the obvious next stop. Based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling novel, the film follows Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), a teenager who moves to the rainy town of Forks, Washington, where she falls for the mysterious Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).
Before long, Bella discovers Edward is a vampire, which puts both of them in the crosshairs of a dangerous group of nomadic vampires. Like The Vampire Diaries, Twilight thrives on forbidden romance and impossible choices. The first film is more atmospheric than many people remember, placing as much emphasis on Bella and Edward's relationship as it does on the supernatural world.
