Charlotte Flair And Tiffany Stratton Problems Nothing New
Charlotte Flair was unimpressed backstage.
The April 4 edition of SmackDown featured one of the most explosive promo segments in recent times but for all the wrong reasons.
During the segment between Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton, the Chicago crowd made their feelings known about the performers, and things quickly went off the rails. Flair appeared to lose control as the crowd took over, and the pair began trading increasingly personal insults that were clearly not in the script.
In closing, Stratton took a shot at Flair over her recent divorce from Andrade and abruptly left the ring. As Stratton left, Flair tried to get even, firing back “Hey Tiffany, is that why Kaiser is in my DMs?” referencing her real-life relationship with Ludwig Kaiser.
According to a report after the show, Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton were both blamed for the situation, and neither was seen as a “good guy.”
Charlotte Flair And Tiffany Stratton Issues Were Inevitable
A new report from Fightful Select has now offered an update on the situation, and the strained relationship between the pair backstage.
While no one outwardly stated that the two women went off script, almost everyone, including talent and staff, believed the segment wasn’t supposed to play out how it ultimately did. The original segment was listed as being written by Devyn Prieto.
Although there’s no word of an altercation backstage, Flair “didn’t appear to be pleased” with the situation. Several talents noted to Fightful that Flair is known for calling audibles in promos and in matches, while two others added that Stratton needed to “fight back” after their segment a week earlier. On that occasion, Flair appeared to take over, with the Women’s Champion struggling to get her lines in.
One “long-time talent” described going against Flair as “daunting,” but it’s something talents have to be willing to do in order to avoid getting “run over.” Another “prominently booked women’s talent” said that Stratton was doing what she needed to do but “going towards Charlotte seems like a horrifying prospect for anyone that does it.”
Several talents believed that WWE, Flair, and Stratton should all lean into the angle.
Fightful also cited a source close to Stratton who said it was Flair who went off script first, and her leaving the ring was a way of trying to stop things from escalating further. Interestingly, it’s believed the “situation has been boiling over for a while.”
Unsurprisingly, management was unhappy with how the segment transpired, and there were audible “oohs” and “woahs” backstage during the promo battle.