Backstage Heat On Charlotte Flair & Tiffany Stratton After SmackDown Segment Goes Off Script [Exclusive]

Friday night's promo exchange between Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton on WWE SmackDown was reportedly not well received backstage.

Charlotte & Tiffany Stratton on SmackDown / WWE.com

Fans tuning in to watch Friday night's episode of SmackDown may have noticed in real time, but the promo exchange between WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair did not go down as planned.

The WrestleMania 41 competitors had an in-ring segment with commentator Wade Barrett and it did not take long at all before things spiraled out of control.

A raucous Chicago crowd was doing its best to not let The Queen get a single word in, and at times, it seemed to throw Charlotte off her game. Instead of fighting over the noise Flair often deferred her time to Stratton, which allowed Tiffany to sling a number of very personal barbs.

Many believe a line was crossed when Tiffany referenced Charlotte's recent divorce from SmackDown Superstar Andrade and said she'd continue to be all alone after WrestleMania. Flair quickly responded by asking why Ludwig Kaiser, Stratton's significant other, was hitting up her DM's on social media.

Those were the final words spoken as the segment ended with Tiffany walking back up the ramp with her WWE Women's Championship in hand.

WWE would go on to edit the digital version of their promo, but the full exchange can still be heard in the WWE on USA YouTube video above.

By the way, @SeanRossSapp’s report here is accurate, and I was told the situation was extremely contentious after the segment, including with higher-ups. The end of the segment very much went off the rails completely.

Very curious if it has ramifications on WrestleMania plans. https://t.co/A4XHxCnFux

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) April 5, 2025

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported Friday night that those within WWE told him that the segment between Tiffany and Charlotte went heavily off script. Our Jon Alba has now added some additional details.

He corroborated Ross Sapp's report and said on his X account that the off script exchange was not well received backstage.

"I was told the situation was extremely contentious after the segment, including with higher-ups. The end of the segment very much went off the rails completely.

Very curious if it has ramifications on WrestleMania plans."

- Jon Alba on X

Stratton and Flair are scheduled to face each other for the WWE Women's Championship two weeks from now at WrestleMania 41.

We will keep you posted here on The Takedown on SI if any new information on this story becomes available.

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