The up-and-coming WWE Superstar Kiana James recently opened up about pinning multi-time Women's Champion Charlotte Flair on SmackDown and securing a spot in the Women's Elimination Chamber match. It was a memorable win for James, but that carried personal weight given how their relationship developed during her injury recovery.
Speaking with TMZ's Inside The Ring days before the Women's Elimination Chamber, James said that the moment was 'bittersweet' for her. She explained:
There's a bittersweet to that, because we've become partners in the gym, training through knee rehab and things like that. But also, taking a step back and realizing — this is the most decorated woman in WWE of all time. Being able to say: you just did that. You just pinned the best of the best. It was a great moment for me and something I'll definitely remember for a long time.
Flair and James were spotted training together at Flatbacks Wrestling School during their overlapping rehabilitation periods, which made the eventual SmackDown qualifying win an unusual moment, defeating the woman who helped her get back.
Iron Sharpens Iron
James was quick to point out that their personal and professional relationship survived the result just fine.
It's surreal — pinning Charlotte Flair," she said. "But at the end of the day, our personal relationship and our professional relationship — iron sharpens iron. When you have someone in the locker room who makes you want to become better, I think win or lose, it's just: okay, now I have to step up. Our camaraderie kind of stays — we just push each other in that way.
As for how Flair is handling the loss? James kept it light.
If you see her Twitter, she's fine. She'll be fine. If I called her up and was like, 'Hey, let's get in the gym' — I think we could have a gym session, push each other, and be all right.
Mentored by the Best in the Building
Flair isn't the only top name James has leaned on. She's been deliberately building a mentorship network since arriving on the main roster, seeking out whoever she can learn from.
On the main roster, obviously I have a relationship with Charlotte Flair, so she's been a great mentor — running things by her," James said. "And then recently we've been doing more live events, so I've been able to pick Cody's brain and ask him his opinion on things. It's so wild to have people of such stature within the company accessible to me. Using your resources, going to these people and saying I see the success you've had and I want to get to that level — pulling from their experiences has been really beneficial.
Earlier in her career, it was Tyler Breeze and Shawn Spears at Flatbacks who shaped her approach.
From my very first day of training up until this week, they've continued to guide me throughout my entire career," she said. "Be a sponge — I took that literally.
James is prepping for the Women's Elimination Chamber on February 28th with a WrestleMania 42 title opportunity on the line.
