Earlier on Saturday, PWInsider reported sources told them the in-ring segment on Friday’s SmackDown between Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton went well off the planned script. During the verbal exchange, Stratton referenced Flair’s three failed marriages. Flair then shot back by saying Lugwid Kaiser is in her DM. Stratton and Kaiser are currently in a real-life relationship.
The report also indicated the belief among from those spoken to, is that Stratton fired away on Flair in retaliation for how Flair “ate her up” on a previous face-to-face segment.
Fightful Select has now provided more details on what happened backstage after the in-ring verbal exchange segment went down.
The report notes that what transpired backstage was reportedly a “wave of chatter” from the women’s roster, with many said to have been caught off guard. Fightful also said it was confirmed by WWE sources a specific directive came down to edit out the divorce and DM comments from digital versions of the segment.
According to Fightful Select, no one indicated to them that Stratton and Flair went off script. However, staff and talent noted that several staff and talent familiar with the situation said they believe the segment did not go as how it was originally planned out for. In addition, it was said that there was no altercation that occurred backstage between Flair and Stratton, but several talent added that Flair is known for calling audibles during matches and promos. Some talent specifically stated that they felt Stratton had to push back against Flair in “order to hold her ground.”
Fightful further added that a veteran talent told them going head-to-head with Flair can be a difficult and challenging task and all talent need to be prepared when they are booked with Flair. Another top women’s talent chimed in saying that they feel Stratton did what she had to in that moment of the segment.
However, at the time of this report, USA Network still has the complete unedited segment, which can be viewed below. The divorce reference by Stratton begins at around the 7:11 minute mark of the video, which is embedded at the bottom of this article.
The report from Fightful concluded with noting a number of talent backstage felt creative should think about and even consider furthering this into more of a storyline, specifically emphasizing how the fans in the arena reacted to the segment that included gasps.
