During an interview on Busted Open Radio, Ric Flair discussed the controversial promo segment between Charlotte Flair and WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton from SmackDown, where both women went off script. Below are the highlights:
His reaction:
“I have an opinion, but I don’t really want to voice it. I can say this, it’s very sensitive. I didn’t like it, but wrestling is wrestling.”
Tiffany saying Charlotte will always come second to her dad:
“I hate when they use me, but Charlotte said it right — you think that’s the first time hearing my name? She is 10 times the athlete that I am. So much better of a worker than I ever was. I can’t do half the things that she does. She’s 5’11 and weighs 145 pounds. She works so hard.”
His feuds with legends like Terry Funk and Dusty Rhodes back in the day, and his failed marriages:
“Family was never brought up. It never happened. I’m 0-4. There is a reason I’m 0-4. When you’re gone six months at a time, people say, ‘Why did you get married when you’re gone?’”
If Charlotte knew Tiffany was going to take personal shots during their promo:
“I don’t know the answer to that. I would assume there was no discussion of that before, but I don’t have any idea. I’m not privy to know that. I would imagine they probably didn’t discuss it.”
If anything good came out of this promo segment on the road to WrestleMania 41:
“Well, they’re talking about it. They are certainly talking about it now, at the expense of Ashley’s personal feelings. Wrestling is a strange animal.”
Backstage News On Who Went Off Script First In The Charlotte Flair – Tiffany Stratton Promo
Fightful Select reports that at least one source close to Tiffany Stratton alleges Charlotte Flair deviated from the script first, prompting Stratton to respond in kind. This source also claimed that Stratton’s decision to leave the ring after delivering a pointed remark about Flair’s divorce was an attempt to de-escalate the situation, suggesting that underlying tensions had been building.
“At least one source close to Stratton claimed that Charlotte went off script first, then Stratton fought back. The claim was that rolling out of the ring after dropping the marriage line was to try to avoid the situation escalating. The belief was that this situation has been boiling over for a while.”
However, management’s reaction was reportedly negative towards both women involved. “Management wasn’t happy with either woman from what we’re told.”
The backstage reaction during the segment was also noteworthy. “We’ve heard that when the back and forth happened to close the promo, there were some audible ‘oohs’ and ‘woahs’ and general surprise that it unfolded that way.” This indicates that the segment’s conclusion was unexpected, even to WWE Officials backstage.
