WWE’s Charlotte Flair Reveals The Women Whose ‘Passion’ Continue To Inspire Her
Launch Gallery
Charlotte Flair is ‘the Queen’ of the WWE, thanks to the female role models who helped her become a WWE Superstar. She speaks on these powerful women while dishing on Asuka, Ronda Rousey and more!
With WrestleMania 34 less than a month away, Charlotte Flair is determined to walk into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans with the SmackDown Women’s Championship around her waist. First, she needs to deal with Ruby Riott and the rest of the Riott Squad – Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan – at WWE’s Fastlane on March 11.
Ahead of this title match, Charlotte EXCLUSIVELY talks with HollywoodLife.com about her WrestleMania plans, before dishing on relating to Stephanie McMahon, what advice she has for Ronda Rousey, and the one way she wishes she could be more like her father, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.
HollywoodLife.com: Fastlane is right around the corner, but everyone is talking about it being WrestleMania season. How do you not overlook Ruby Riott before the big dance so she doesn’t steal a victory from you?
Its not overlooking because every SmackDown Live!, you have Carmella with the Money In The Bank briefcase. So, it is just moving forward and coming out of Fastlane looking as strong as I can as I go into WrestleMania.
There is still a possible chance that Asuka could choose to face you at WrestleMania. What would you think if that were to happen and do you think you could beat her undefeated streak?
Streaks are meant to be broken and we’ve never faced each other. I think if she does choose me, then “the Empress” versus “the Queen” is a WrestleMania moment. I want to break her streak. I want to be that woman who can say, ‘I beat Asuka!’
Would you want it to be a straight up match or have a gimmick attached to it?
You know, I thought about that. Maybe like a “Falls Count Anywhere” match or an “Iron Woman” [match] but I think what will be so special is a regular match. No one has seen us in the ring before and we have such different backgrounds and styles. I don’t think it needs any enhancement or name on the match. I think just seeing us go at it on the biggest stage of all is just as exciting.
March marks Women’s History Month, who is a female role model for you and why?
For me, it is a two-part answer because growing up, it wasn’t one specific famous person or athlete that I looked up to. I was just extremely close to my coaches: my gymnastics coaches, my volleyball coach, my basketball coach, my cheerleading coach. I just really relied on them for things.
Now, it is the women I work with. At one point, I thought I was never going to be a WWE Superstar. Then, when I started in 2012, I met all these incredible women from all over the world who had this tremendous passion. This is what they wanted to do from an early age. Seeing them so dedicated to making it in the WWE really inspired me.
Even my best friend Becky Lynch or Sasha [Banks] or Natalya or the Bellas – I just have really looked up to them and have taken pieces from their careers, their work ethics and what they have hoped for in the women in the industry. And another is Stephanie McMahon, because I feel I can relate to her with the pressure of having a famous father and being in the family business. She exudes confidence and strength all at once.
Having learned so much from you father and vice versa, what do you two still teach each other to this day?
The one thing I love about my Dad is he knows who he is and he never second-guesses himself. He is just Ric Flair. I don’t know how really to explain it, but if you watch the 30 For 30, he doesn’t apologize for knowing that he is the best. He wakes up every morning and lives life to the fullest. I appreciate that.
And him being so honest and not being afraid, and telling me how he did something well or this or that. It’s just a hope that I can get to a point in my life where I don’t second guess myself. That is what I learn from him everyday.
Once WrestleMania ends and everything kind of resets in the world of WWE, what do you hope to achieve for the rest of 2018, since you could still be the SmackDown Women’s Champion?
It’s crazy because every year I reflect. At WrestleMania 32, I won the first WWE Women’s Championship and then the next year, I main evented the first Hell in a Cell and then main evented Raw and SmackDown Live!. So, going into WrestleMania, I don’t know what the future holds.
I just want to keep working as hard as yesterday and keep working hard everyday. Hopefully, [I’ll] get to a point where I will be main eventing multiple pay per views and be an attraction and evolving my character is what I look forward to doing.
If you were to start your own show on YouTube (a la Xavier Woods UpUpDownDown) or the WWE Network, what would it be?
Probably traveling to different breakfast places while we are on route over the weekends. I always love waking in a different city and finding a local spot and then whatever gym is in the area. Whatever it would be, I could be talking to the waiter and waitress on their favorite dish and then the gym that I find. So probably that!
What’s one guilty pleasure you indulge on while on the road?
[Laughs] Ooooooh! So I love smoothies! I love my post workout smoothies. Whether it is peanut butter or bananas, strawberries and Kiwis. I love protein and to add Greek Yogurt. I probably could drink three smoothies a day but my nutritionist would probably kill me.
If you had the chance to live as another WWE Superstar from the past or present — either male or female — for one day, who would that be and why?
Oh man! If I had to live as them? Oh let me think. That is a good question! Ohhhh who would I want that to be. I will go with Brock Lesnar because he is a beast! [laughs]
Ronda Rousey, now that the rumors are true and she is in the WWE, what advice would you give her to succeed?
The easiest thing she will ever do in the WWE ring is sign that contract. Not taking anyone lightly, knowing that the biggest thing in our industry is respect and hard work and she has to earn it.
Favorite film of the year?
I will have to say Wonder Woman. I just feel that it has been the year of women and I think Wonder Woman had not one negative thing talked about it and it was so well done and they picked Gal Gadot. But they couldn’t have picked a better actress to represent Wonder Woman because off-screen and on-screen, she is a natural beauty.
If you follow her on social media and what she does for the community and what she represents, she is classic and timeless. If I were a mother today, I would want my little girl to follow someone like her.
Will you be acting more yourself?
I hope so! For the last few years, my main focus is to get better in the ring. I think I have reached a point where I am confident enough to know that I can get better in the ring, but take chances outside of it.
Its a growing process because I never thought in a million years I would be on a show like Psych but when I had that opportunity I was like, ‘Wow, maybe I can do this!’ So having that opportunity with that show, I want that opportunity to try again. Maybe after WrestleMania or whenever. It is definitely something I have thought about a lot more lately.
You are a role model and mean so much to so many people, do you feel that its a responsibility to be a role model?
I think being a WWE Superstar, being a role model should come first. I wrote a book called Second Nature with my Dad, a biography that came out in September. I talked about things I had to overcome and go through to get to where I am today and how in my personal life, I needed a hero. So, when I got to WWE, I created this character that I wanted to be like, to be someone’s hero.
Now, I have the platform [to be a hero] for men and women and little boys and girls. It means a lot to me. Having the platform and having the opportunity to help kids, that is the most important thing to me. And to just give the positive message of ‘just go for it,’ and it’s okay to make mistakes, and that your past doesn’t define you. I hope I can continue to do that more and more as I grow.
See Charlotte Flair in action when she defends her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Ruby Riott at WWE’s Fastlane. Watch all the action the WWE Network, starting on March 11 at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT