WWE bosses might have lost confidence in top star, Stevie Richards thinks

Modified Apr 10, 2025 13:34 GMT

Former WWE Hardcore Champion Stevie Richards [Image Credit: wwe.com]

Stevie Richards worked for WWE between 1999 and 2008 after spells with ECW and WCW. In a recent podcast episode, the 53-year-old addressed how the company's higher-ups might feel about Charlotte Flair.

On the April 4 episode of SmackDown, Flair and Tiffany Stratton reportedly went off-script during a heated in-ring promo segment. The controversial exchange ended with Stratton referencing her rival's three divorces. Seconds later, Flair claimed Stratton's real-life boyfriend Ludwig Kaiser had been in her DMs.

Reacting to the segment, Richards said on The Stevie Richards Show that Flair made herself look bad by "burying" Stratton. He also speculated that WWE bosses have lost faith in The Queen.

"The smile, the smirk, the no-sell, and then burying her and saying she's a charity case," Richards stated. "All the wrong things going into a match of burying your opponent. I'm gonna get to Tiffany in a second. What the office might see, if they have somewhat of a lost confidence in Charlotte Flair, which it seems like they do a little bit, they're going to put over Tiffany Stratton." [2:58 – 3:28]

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On April 19, Flair will challenge Stratton for the WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 41.

Stevie Richards reacts to Charlotte Flair's WWE SmackDown insults

Earlier in the segment, Charlotte Flair claimed she chose Tiffany Stratton as her WrestleMania 41 opponent because she had not done any charity work lately. The 2025 Women's Royal Rumble winner also poked fun at the 25-year-old by mimicking her high-pitched voice.

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According to Stevie Richards, Flair should have built up her fellow SmackDown star ahead of WrestleMania instead of putting her down:

"So now you just buried a girl, called her a charity case, called her an imitator of you, a copycat, a doppleganger, an imitator, whatever she called her. That carbon copy, that lesser whatever version of yourself just beat you clean, so what are you now?" [3:28 – 3:47]

With 14 world title reigns, Flair is already the most decorated female star in WWE history. If she beats Stratton, the 39-year-old will surpass Randy Orton and Triple H to become a 15-time world champion.

Please credit The Stevie Richards Show and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart