Tiffany Stratton’s second Money in the Bank win may have upset a lot of fans, but according to a new backstage report, that reaction was actually part of the bigger picture. WWE expected the online backlash because it fits into the company’s long-term plans for Stratton.

Speaking during a Self Made Session, Self Made Pro said he was told WWE knew fans would be frustrated that Roxanne Perez didn’t win the briefcase. According to the explanation he received, the company was comfortable with that because the long-term direction is for Tiffany to become a heel.

“Another thing that was said to me was that they knew that this would get some fan online heat on Tiffany Stratton, which is what they want because apparently the long-term plan for Tiffany is to be a heel.”

He said the idea wasn’t just to surprise the audience for the sake of it. Instead, WWE reportedly believed putting the briefcase on Tiffany instead of Roxanne would create heat for Stratton while making fans rally behind Perez.

“The gist was basically, we wanted to do a thing because people expected the logical thing, and we want this to make people mad and then get mad at Tiffany Stratton and also get more on the side of Roxanne Perez.”

Self Made Pro also made it clear this wasn’t his own interpretation of what happened. He said that explanation came directly from a conversation he had after Money in the Bank when he asked why WWE changed directions.

“So that was their personal explanation to me this morning when I asked.”

If that’s the direction WWE is heading, then the negative reaction online may have been exactly what the company was hoping to create. The bigger question now is whether that reported long-term heel plan for Tiffany Stratton actually plays out over the coming months.

What do you think about WWE’s long-term direction for Tiffany Stratton? Let us know in the comments below.