Backstage Heat Between Charlotte Flair & Tiffany Stratton Led To Off-Script Segment

WWE fans are still buzzing about the heated in-ring segment between Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair from last Friday’s episode of SmackDown, a promo that went off-script and quickly went viral due to the personal shots exchanged by the two Superstars.

During the segment, Stratton didn’t hold back, telling Flair:

“You’ll always come second to your father, Ric Flair… When it’s all said and done, you’re gonna be just like you are outside of the ring — alone.”

Stratton then added a jab at Flair’s personal life, asking:

“What is that record? 0-3?”

Flair responded sharply:

“Is that why Kaiser’s in my DMs?”

The exchange quickly made waves online, with fans questioning whether it was scripted or a legitimate airing of grievances. WWE has since edited the promo, removing the final jabs from its official social media and YouTube uploads. However, the original footage remained up on the USA Network’s social platforms, further fueling speculation.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that the fiery interaction stemmed from real-life backstage tension between Stratton and Flair.

“There have been problems between the two for about two weeks. So people knew about it,” Meltzer stated.

He also pointed out the double standard in how such situations are handled depending on the promotion.

“One thing about this is it also shows a complete double standard in how people view things. Because if this same thing had happened in AEW… the blame would still probably go on the people in the ring, of course, but it would largely go on Tony Khan for, ‘You’ve had two weeks to figure this out, to get these people on the same page.’ And there they went, out there, and they just went off the rails.”

Meltzer noted that while Charlotte (Ashley Flair) is receiving the brunt of the blame, both Superstars are being held accountable for the segment derailing from its intended direction.

As of now, WWE has not publicly addressed the situation, and it remains to be seen whether the tension will affect the storyline—or future creative plans—between Stratton and Flair heading into WrestleMania 41.