The Story So Far: Tiffany Stratton Vs. Charlotte Flair At WWE WrestleMania 41

One of WrestleMania 41's most-talked about feuds caught fire within recent weeks due to its competitors trading personal barbs on the microphone when a promo segment went off-script and turned into what those backstage in WWE called a "wreck." When WWE Women's World Champion Tiffany Stratton defends her gold against Charlotte Flair on night one of WrestleMania weekend, sparks are bound to fly, as the women have reportedly had issues with each other for weeks, prior to when things turned personal on "WWE SmackDown."

Stratton came to hold the gold after cashing in her Money in the Bank contract on the January 3 episode of "WWE SmackDown" on then-champion Nia Jax. When Stratton won the WWE Women's Championship, Flair was still on the shelf after suffering a serious knee injury on an episode of "SmackDown" back in December 2023. Flair was out of action the entirety of 2024 after tearing her ACL, MCL, and meniscus, but was announced for the Women's Royal Rumble this year ahead of the event. "The Queen" entered the match at #27 and eliminated four women on her way to victory.

Flair didn't choose to go after Stratton and the WWE Women's Championship immediately, however. She appeared on "WWE Raw" for a face-off with Rhea Ripley, who was Women's World Champion at the time, and stopped by "WWE NXT" to scout the competition there. Finally, on February 14 just after Stratton had successfully defended her title against Jax, but was laid out by Candice LeRae with a steel chair, Flair came out from the back and seated herself in the ring and mocked Stratton before telling her "The Queen" would see her at WrestleMania.

Stratton once called Flair her "inspiration" and the reason she got into wrestling and named her as a dream opponent, but things between the pair broke down quickly not just in storyline, but seemingly behind-the-scenes as well. Flair and Stratton brawled back-and-forth with Flair mostly getting the upper hand, until the March 14 episode of "WWE SmackDown" where Stratton finally stood tall after hitting "The Queen" with two moonsaults, connecting with one from the top of the tron to Flair and officials below. That's where physicality between the pair cooled down and they then entered a war of words.

They sat down for a split-screen interview that seemingly went off the rails to many who watched the segment. Flair appeared to interrupt and talk over Stratton numerous times, frustrating the younger star and causing her to stumble over her lines. Flair said that Stratton is the only person delusion enough to compare herself to her, but Stratton reminded her that Flair supported her at the beginning of her career, before she realized Stratton was coming for her throne. 

The segment was awkward to watch and according to Fightful Select, those within WWE said afterward that they believed that Stratton was put in a "sink-or-swim" situation, and Flair was just a better swimmer.

The now-infamous in-ring segment where Stratton and Flair went after each other's personal lives occurred on the April 4 episode of "WWE SmackDown." The women met in the ring, with commentator Wade Barrett between them to prevent any physicality, and things quickly went off the rails. Reports vary, but Flair allegedly began to go off-script with a line about being a "nepo queen" after Stratton compared her to her father, Ric Flair, and called her a "nepo baby." The crowd also appeared to rattle Flair, who seemingly gave up on the promo segment and told Stratton she could have the last word. 

Stratton then mentioned Flair's recent divorce, which "The Queen" had only opened up about recently on a talk show, and mentioned Flair being "0-3 in marriages" before rolling out of the ring. As Stratton made her way up the ramp, Flair called after her that Stratton's real-life boyfriend, Ludwig Kaiser, was in her DMs on social media. Reports came out very quickly following the segment that things did not go as planned and the women went off-script.

Flair posted about the segment on social media and issued a half-hearted apology, joking that she never should have called Chicago fans "smart," which she apologized for. She referenced "being blindsided by personal trauma on live television." Kaiser also joked about the segment online and posted a classic clip featuring Shawn Michaels telling Diana Hart Smith not to "flatter herself" after she claimed Michaels made a pass at her.

Following the trainwreck of a "SmackDown" segment, the company chose to not give either woman a live microphone the following week, though reports indicated WWE wasn't pivoting creatively for the match. Ahead of the April 11 episode of "SmackDown," social media video was released of Flair blindsiding Stratton in the parking lot of the arena, smacking her head off the window of an SUV before the pair were separated by officials. The clip never made it to air on "SmackDown" and was only reference on commentary, with note that Flair was "sent home" for the week, but she came out following Stratton's match against Roxanne Perez to beat her down once again. Flair was the one standing tall once again following the attack.

According to Fightful Select, the beatdown angle went smoothly, and WWE executives were pleased with how the pair put the disastrous, personal in-ring segment behind them. There's no indication of what could happen between the pair on the final episode of "SmackDown" before their WrestleMania match on Saturday, but it seems likely that WWE wouldn't be putting them in another promo segment.