Charlotte Flair tried to climb back atop the WWE mountain at WrestleMania 41, but Tiffany Stratton had other plans.
The night before John Cena will attempt to win his record-breaking 17th world title at WrestleMania 41, Charlotte Flair also tried to take one step closer to her father Ric Flair’s record. Only, Stratton was having none of it.
The crowd inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas had been quiet for most of the night, until they erupted for Stratton’s entrance and showered “The Queen” in boos for hers. Their seemed to be an air of anticipation that Flair would win her 15th world title. Instead, Stratton retained the WWE Women’s Championship after an incredible Prettiest Moonsault Ever and prevented Flair from securing her first title victory in nearly two years after a lengthy recovery from a major knee injury.
And Stratton’s win, unlike Jey Uso’s massive victory or Jacob Fatu’s title win, was arguably the biggest surprise of the night on WrestleMania Saturday up until that point.
A big win for the recently returning Charlotte was widely expected because, well, she’s Charlotte Flair, the most pushed woman in WWE history. Even though Charlotte has been the clear villain in her feud with Stratton, there have been undertones of a babyface push for Charlotte, built around the idea of her coming back from such a devastating injury and immediately returning to top form.
Of course, Charlotte’s in-ring skills shouldn’t be questioned. Bell to bell, she’s one of the best to ever do it. But Charlotte as a character? That’s a different story, and never has that been more exemplified than it has during her feud with Stratton, which was largely a train wreck after the two stars went off-script during a SmackDown segment that was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
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ForbesWWE WrestleMania 41 Results: El Grande Americano Defeats Rey FenixBy Blake Oestriecher
Charlotte vs. Stratton the match at WrestleMania 41 was, as expected, a stellar in-ring encounter, with the two stars utilizing their real life heat to turn the ring into a proverbial convection oven. To put it mildly, however, Charlotte vs. Stratton the feud was a letdown of epic proportions.
When this rivalry first commenced, expectations were naturally sky high. WWE fans salivated over the idea of Stratton, the young up-and-coming stalwart, trying to take down Charlotte, who is similar to her in a lot of ways. Their rivalry, however, never quite clicked.
Most notably, Charlotte and Stratton engaged in a promo battle on SmackDown that was widely criticized, especially in regards to Stratton’s lackluster performance in the segment. That, in itself, was really a microcosm of everything that went wrong with the once-highly anticipated feud, which totally fell apart on more than one occasion.
Seemingly the perfect mix of peanut butter and jelly, Stratton and Charlotte felt more like oil and water. But WWE had a choice to make: Continue to focus on Stratton’s rise or revert to another Charlotte push.
Another title win for Charlotte would have been a massive step back for Stratton and a way for WWE to pull back the reigns on what had been a substantial push for the former Ms. Money in the Bank. In a turn of events that is all too familiar for fan favorites, Stratton still has been unable to catch fire as champion the way that she did when was the one pursuing the title, but she’s getting a second chance.
It can often be difficult for babyfaces to excel as champion because the money is in the chase. Fans want to see their beloved hero reach the proverbial mountaintop. But once they’re there, that’s when things get difficult.
Throw in a second Royal Rumble win for Flair that wasn’t exactly warmly received, and this whole rivalry felt like it was badly booked from the jump. The feud was seemingly poised to continue beyond WrestleMania 41, but with a clean and decisive win for Stratton, that appears less likely
Maybe the best thing for both stars is for them to go their separate ways, at least for the time being. But with Charlotte involved, don’t be surprised if she sticks around Stratton and the title picture one way or the other.
