"Everyone just assumes because my dad is who he is" - Charlotte Flair on how she looked at wrestling growing up
Current SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair has revealed that she was not a fan of professional wrestling growing up.
Flair is a 13-time world champion in WWE and has found herself consistently at the top of the card since making her main roster debut in 2015. She is a grand slam champion, a former NXT Women's Champion, and a former Women's Royal Rumble winner. She is now set to main event WrestleMania for the second time this coming weekend at WrestleMania 38.
Despite her impressive in-ring career and illustrious family history in the industry, The Queen didn't grow up as a fan of the sport. Flair claimed in a recent interview with CBS Sports that people naturally assumed she grew up a fan because of who her father is.
"I didn’t grow up a wrestling fan. Everyone just assumes because my dad is who he is. I didn’t get in the business until super late. It’s more just about respect. Like when I had my match against Trish at SummerSlam, it wasn’t the inner child in me, it was more what Trish meant to the business, and she came back to want to wrestle me, so I have to live up to her expectation," Flair said
Charlotte Flair also discussed Ronda Rousey's relationship with the WWE fans
Charlotte Flair will defend her SmackDown Women's Championship against the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble winner Ronda Rousey this weekend at WrestleMania 38.
In the same interview with CBS Sports, Charlotte offered some surprising words of praise for her WrestleMania oppenent when asked about some of the fan criticism flung Rousey's way.
"If I listen to what people said about me, oof, I wouldn’t be here today. First of all, I’m facing Ronda next week. Don’t take this as I’m going to bat for her. I’m just saying, you can’t knock someone who did something in one year that takes many years and years and years to learn or to grasp. And she did a pretty damn good job in one year. It’s just easier to be negative."
What do you think about Charlotte Flair's comments? Do you think she'll be able to defeat Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 38? You can share your thoughts in the comment section down below.