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Charlotte Flair on motivations for success, striving for greatness | “Out of Character”
By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst
WWE’s Charlotte Flair stepped "Out of Character with Ryan Satin" this week to show a side of herself rarely seen by fans.
During our 45-minute conversation, Flair opened up about what motivated her to get into wrestling and acknowledged that, despite what you might think, she was not inspired to join from a young age due to her father’s success.
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"When I was watching, I didn’t see myself in that light as this beautiful Diva. I just didn’t," the former Raw Women’s champion explained.
"I’m just looking at Torrie Wilson going, ‘Wow, you are the most beautiful woman in the world.’ Or I remember seeing Michelle McCool in makeup with my dad when he retired in Orlando. I was like 21 or 22 at this time. I walked past her and was like, ‘Gosh. She’s so glamorous. What’s it like to wear boots like that? Or an outfit like that?’
"I was front row when Lita and Trish main evented in Charlotte, North Carolina, with my friends, and to think, at that time, I was a senior in high school. It was like, ‘Oh, this is cool.’
"It’s easier to assume that that’s what I wanted to do my whole life than to think that actually, no. I have a story, and I didn’t care about wrestling.
"It was because of my brother."
Flair was offered a WWE contract in 2012, and at the time, her brother Reid had been wrestling on the independent scene in hopes of one day getting a deal. The supportive sibling encouraged his sister to join before him, though, assuming they’d both eventually be in the company.
Tragically, Reid passed away in 2013 at the age of 25, leaving Charlotte to fend for herself.
"My little brother was like, ‘Dude, yes, you have to do this. We can do it together. We can go to Tampa together.’ Because, at the time, NXT — our third brand — was FCW. ‘Let’s do this together. You gotta do this, Winky.’ That was my nickname. ‘You gotta do it. You’d be excellent.’
"I still tell Nattie to this day, but Reid was always like, 'You gotta watch Natalya. You gotta watch Natalya. She’s a legit wrestler.' It’s crazy then to think I had a match with her that put me on the map."
"I reported to Tampa July 12. Then my little brother ended up passing a year later," she added. "So when I got there, I was scared, nervous, didn’t know what to do. Like, ‘Here I am. Ric Flair’s kid just showing up.’ The only thing that kept me in the game was I was super-athletic and just kept earning the respect from my peers just by working my butt off and my blow-up drills and stuff like that. And when my brother passed, it really just started to click."
After losing Reid, Charlotte buried herself in work, and as the next eight years zoomed by, she built a legacy that will go down in history as one of the most impressive résumés ever created by a WWE Superstar. That includes being a five-time Raw Women’s champion, five-time SmackDown Women’s champion, two-time NXT Women’s champion, former Divas champion, former Women’s Tag Team champion and 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble winner, all of which makes her a Triple Crown Champion AND Grand Slam Champion.
That's not to mention the fact that Flair, Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey were the first women to main event WrestleMania together back in 2019.
"I mean, this as genuine and sincere as possible," she said in reference to that match and living up her to brother's dreams, "but I don’t think [Reid] ever could have imagined the fact that his sister main evented WrestleMania. Like, I still some days am like, ‘How did I end up here?’ I have no idea.
"I guess I just wish he could have seen me once. Just one time."
In digging deeper on what has motivated the Superstar to continue achieving all her success over the years, it’s clear there are many factors. But the one at the front of Charlotte’s mind is doing her family name proud for her father, her younger brother, Reid, and her older brother, David (whom Attitude Era fans might remember from his stint in WCW).
"I think I do … have a chip on my shoulder being Flair’s kid," she said, "but I saw how much it affected [Reid] with how mean people were for being Ric Flair’s son. ‘Cause he was wrestling on the indies when he passed, and he had just been in Japan. People were just so brutal.
"Even my big brother and seeing what people would say. My big brother was thrown into WCW with no practice. He was 19, and he’s Ric Flair’s kid. What do you expect? He had no training. People are just so cruel. And I mean, David, my older brother, he’s so happy now and a husband and a father and the best father to his two kids. But just seeing both my brothers suffer from that, I wish I could protect them with bubble wrap."
Take a few minutes to watch this part of the interview in particular. As she's openly and honestly discussing her brothers and her journey, Charlotte sums up everything about her character and her approach to WWE in one sentence.
In addition to being motivated by her family, Charlotte pushes herself to be one of the best wrestlers in the industry because she believes she’s just as good as the male Superstars in WWE and wants to continue proving it.
As you can imagine, "The Queen" admits that she’s a bit confused when it comes to criticism from fans who want her to relinquish the throne.
This happened, once again, over the weekend after she defeated Rhea Ripley to become Raw Women’s champion for a fifth time. Some fans were quick to complain, acting as if Charlotte were somehow steamrollering fresh talent. Twenty-four hours later, though, they all had egg on their faces.
Following a main event rematch between Flair and Ripley on Monday Night Raw, recent Money in the Bank winner Nikki ASH cashed in her contract and pinned Charlotte to capture the Raw Women’s title, marking the third time a woman has pinned Charlotte by cashing in.
"Everyone’s like, ‘Well, you’ve done it all.’ So because I’ve main evented WrestleMania once I’m not supposed to want to do it again?" Flair asked, knowing the answer to her question. "You think Simone Biles doesn’t want to be the G.O.A.T. anymore?
"Because I’ve main evented one pay-per-view, I’m not supposed to want to main event more? Randy [Orton], he’s active. No one’s going, ‘You’re one of the greatest of all time. Do you want more?’
"I just get confused why people don’t understand that. I want to get better. I want to evolve. I want more layers. But I don’t understand why that makes me selfish."
For much more with Charlotte Flair, watch or listen to this week's "Out of Character with Ryan Satin."
Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1's "WWE Backstage" and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.
