That's how it seemed to me too, like Steven had a problem with more than just the song choice. I googled "White Lion Steven Tyler" and couldn't find anything specific.
But Mike Tramp, the lead singer of White Lion, had this to say:
... Steven Tyler, on the other hand, thought it was the wrong song for Dixon’s “voice and passion” and added, “I didn’t feel the song go anywhere.”But what did White Lion’s own singer think of Dixon’s performance? We reached rocker and co-writer Mike Tramp in his home country of Denmark where he told THR he had “nothing but praise and the absolutely the best to say about Colton, his voice and his passion for music. I enjoyed his performance and conviction of the song. Colton has my support all the way, he is a true star.”
As for Tyler’s comments, Tramp seemed baffled, especially since the two frontmen go back. Said Tramp: “What's wrong with Tyler? White Lion toured with Aerosmith for three months back in 1987 and we became friends. I would say he knows pretty well who White Lion is and that ‘Broken Heart’ is a key part in the foundation to the band and why we were successful in the 80s.”
Tramp didn’t cut Idol’s backing band much slack, either. “It’s a shame they couldn't lay down a better groove based on what they get paid or at least listen to the original better, even though they were doing their own version,” he jabbed.