“More Careful”: Tiffany Stratton’s SmackDown Booking Deemed Warning Shot at Locker Room After Racism Allegations

Ahead of WWE Friday Night SmackDown, Tiffany Stratton got into hot water with the WWE Universe. After posting a rather offensive video clip regarding Jade Cargill, fans called out the rising star. While many believed she would be punished, fake news spread across social media. The WWE Universe got wind that her match with Bianca Belair was canceled. It did take place on SmackDown, but her booking may have had something to do with it.

Stratton faced Belair in the quarterfinals of the Queen of the Ring tournament. The finals will take place at the King and Queen of the Ring PLE in Saudi Arabia.

Tiffany Stratton’s booking was an example for the women’s locker room

A day ago, Stratton posted a video clip featuring a voiceover calling Cargill a “Black B**ch.” Fans immediately called out the star, and the video was deleted from her story. However, the news of this video clip being posted circulated through the pro wrestling community. While many did come forward to stand up for the Minnesota native, others were deeply offended by the nature of the clip. Moreover, fans called for Stratton to be punished for sharing such content on social media. The incident was discussed on the post-SmackDown live stream of Fightful Wrestling With Sean Ross Sapp.

Sapp said, “I felt like Tiffany was going to win Queen of the Ring. So I was kind of surprised by the result tonight.”

This was the sentiment of all those who saw the tournament as Stratton was the favorable choice to win. He continued, “I think that everybody is going to be a little bit more careful in that regard now when they do that, assuming it was an accident.” While not confirming or denying that the post was accidental, Sapp’s words make it clear that the booking was intentional. But why would WWE stop Stratton’s momentum?

Triple H honoring an age-old WWE tradition

An unknown rule of the WWE has always been wrestlers lose matches as a backstage punishment. This happens rarely and can be done to the best of the best. A good example is AJ Lee losing her long-standing Divas title to a debuting Paige. Backstage reports suggested that the WWE wanted to clean their hands after Lee’s fiancé, CM Punk, made this ugly. This abrupt passing of the torch left many fans speechless.

Another great example is WWE icon Lita. In 2006, both Trish Stratus and Lita retired from wrestling. However, while Stratus retired as a champion, Lita lost her last match against Mickie James. This was because the WWE wanted Lita to stay on for longer, which she refused. What do you think? Was Stratton’s booking part of WWE’s punishment? Tell us in the comments.