Ric Flair Addresses Insults From Charlotte & Tiffany Stratton's WWE SmackDown Drama

Four days later, the wrestling world is continuing to talk about the rather personal war of words between WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair from "WWE SmackDown." On "Busted Open Radio," Charlotte's father, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, added to the discussion.

Like many of Charlotte's previous opponents, Stratton asserted that "The Queen" would always live in the shadow of her father no matter how many championships she won or records she broke. In response, Charlotte called out the claim for its unoriginality. Ric has since backed up Charlotte's rebuttal, while adding his belief that she has actually eclipsed him in the ring.

"I have an opinion [on the segment], but I don't really want to voice it," Ric said. "I can just say this, it's very sensitive. I didn't like it, but wrestling is wrestling. I hate when they use me, but Charlotte said it right, 'You think that's the first time they're hearing my name?'"

"I want to clarify this," he continued, "she is ten times the athlete that I am, so much better a worker than I ever was. I can't do half the things that she does. It's not like she's five [foot] two and 103 pounds. She's five [foot] 11 and weighs 145, 150 pounds, whatever it is. She works so hard. The Undertaker said it best, 'The Queen came back and regained her crown.' She deserves it. She'll be the best worker in the business, female, until the day she decides to retire."

Beyond Ric Flair, Stratton also referenced Charlotte's recent divorce from fellow WWE star Andrade by stating that Charlotte was now "0-3" in her marriages. As Stratton then rolled out of the ring, Charlotte clapped back with a claim that Ludwig Kaiser, another WWE star and Stratton's real-life boyfriend, was in her DMs. Both of these comments were reportedly made off-script.

When asked about the integration of Charlotte's personal life into the back-and-forth promo, Ric admitted that he had no true insight into whether it was improvised or pre-planned. Based on appearances, though, he believed the former to be the case.

"I would imagine they probably didn't discuss that [beforehand]," Ric said. "Who knows? Nobody gets that wrestling is a tough business, it's very personal, and things are handled a lot differently backstage now than they were in the 70s and 80s. I mean, I can remember when Harley [Race] left the Memorial Auditorium and said, 'I'm going to see [Hulk] Hogan.' You've heard the story about that. He walked in the back door and walked in the bathroom, pointed a nine-millimeter [pistol] at Hulk. 'What are you doing in my town?' It was a different time back then. Things were handled differently."

While he may not be fond of the "SmackDown" segment involving Stratton and Charlotte, Ric, like fellow WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray, did acknowledge that it got people from all across the world chattering. At the same time, Ric thinks it was at the expense of his daughter's real-life feelings.

At the 2025 Women's Royal Rumble, Charlotte outlasted 29 other women. Looking ahead, she will now challenge Stratton for the WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.