Charlotte Flair Unhappy After SmackDown Segment with Tiffany Stratton Goes Off the Rails

The fallout from Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton’s SmackDown promo just keeps getting messier—and now new backstage details that shed light on what really happened behind the scenes.

The April 4 segment between Flair and Stratton was already turning heads thanks to brutal lines that felt way too real for WWE TV. Fans were quick to point out that WWE’s YouTube channel trimmed out the most controversial parts, but the USA Network’s YouTube channel? Still running the full unedited version, including Flair’s now-infamous “Is that why Kaiser’s in my DMs?” and Stratton’s savage “What is that, zero and three?” divorce shot.

Now, according to Fightful Select, the segment is still a hot topic among WWE’s women’s division—and not just because of the drama. The outlet reports that the controversial back-and-forth “was a hot topic among the women’s roster since it happened,” with several talents weighing in backstage. One source via PWInsider described Flair’s last-second retaliation as “a flailing shot from a boxer who didn’t realize they were KO’d.”

The script, reportedly penned by Devyn Prieto, may not have included the personal jabs at all. Fightful noted, “We haven’t been told outright that Tiffany and Stratton went off script by anyone involved with the segment itself… However, almost everyone that watched it unfold believes it wasn’t supposed to go down that way, including staff and talent.”

So what really triggered the chaos? Multiple sources say the Chicago crowd flipped the segment’s direction. Flair—visibly rattled by the fans siding with Stratton—tried to get the crowd back on her side. But Tiffany had already stolen the moment and closed it with a mic-drop insult that left everyone in shock.

According to Fightful, “Charlotte Flair didn’t appear to be pleased,” and one veteran star told the outlet that going toe-to-toe with Flair isn’t for the faint of heart. “Going at Charlotte in that manner can be daunting, but it’s something every talent has to be willing to do.” Another talent said Stratton “had to fight back” after Flair took control of their previous side-by-side promo weeks earlier.

Interestingly, WWE didn’t just remove the lines from their YouTube version. Fightful says the edit came down from above: “The comments were quickly edited out of the digital versions of the promo, which we’re told was a specific directive.”

As of now, WWE hasn’t publicly addressed the drama. And while there were no reported altercations backstage, the tension was real. Fans watching in the arena reportedly reacted with audible “oohs” and “woahs” during the live taping—and it’s clear WWE wasn’t ready for that heat.

With WrestleMania 41 around the corner, some within WWE believe the company should embrace the chaos and let the real tension fuel the storyline. But with edits being made and Flair reportedly unhappy, it’s unclear if the company will double down or clean it up.

For now, if you want the real version, you’ll have to head over to the USA Network’s YouTube channel—because that’s where all the fire is still burning.

What’s your take on the Flair-Stratton promo? Should WWE lean into the unscripted energy or rein it back in? Drop your thoughts in the comments—we want to hear everything.