"So taboo" - Tiffany Stratton under fire after controversial SmackDown comments; Veterans convinced Charlotte Flair did not like major shots

WWE Women's champion Tiffany Stratton opened the latest episode of Friday Night SmackDown, celebrating last week's title defense against Nia Jax. However, her time alone in the ring was cut short, as Alexa Bliss came out to speak to the current champion.

Bliss, who qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match, exchanged words with the champ. The two former Money in the Bank winners seemed to have a cordial interaction until Charlotte Flair interrupted them.

Talking about the segment on the latest episode of BroDown on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Dutch Mantell took issue with Tiffany Stratton's comments on Bliss and Flair. Tiffy referred to Alexa and Charlotte as 'vintage' during her promo, which didn't sit right with the former WWE manager.

"Bad mistake. They shouldn't do that. It hurts the older people that are trying to make her a star. And I'm sure she didn't come up with that on her own. The writer told her to say it, but I guarantee you Charlotte Flair didn't like that," Mantell said. [32:28 onwards]

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Vince Russo, a former WWE writer himself, agreed with Mantell's opinion on Tiffany Stratton's segment. He mentioned that mentioning age with senior talent should be the last thing anyone does.

"That is so taboo. When you when you've got an older talent, like that is the last thing you do is mention age. I learned that very very early on," Russo said. [32:56 onwards]

The opening segment with Tiffany Stratton, Alexa Bliss, and Charlotte Flair followed another Triple Threat qualifying match for the Money in the Bank. Charlotte took on US Champion Zelina Vega and SmackDown's newest superstar, Giulia, who emerged victorious on her debut on the blue brand.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Rahul Madurawe