The majority of Charlotte Flair’s career has been spent as a heel character in WWE. She is a natural heel and is already criticized for whatever position she is booked in by fans.
The SmackDown Women’s Champion recently spoke with Ariel Helwani from BT Sport about why she doesn’t come across well as a babyface.
“Anytime I try being a face, I think that there’s really nothing in the character other than I have a great relationship with my dad like the father-daughter relationship that people necessarily can relate to. Like when I come across like understand me or this was hard for me, it just comes across as like whining or complaining, or I’m like, ‘No, I really feel this way.’ It doesn’t come across as endearing. So I’ve found like, even though I’m trying to open up and be relatable to the audience,” Charlotte explained, “I don’t think the audience sees it that way. It comes across as entitled. When that’s not really how it’s supposed to be portrayed. So anytime I’ve tried to do that as a face. I think it just comes across as like a cry baby…just whining.”
She cited her match with Rhea Ripley at Money In The Bank 2021 as a perfect example of not coming across well in this role.
“No, with the crowd of Money in the Bank. I truly believe I elicit that response from them to do that with Becky [Lynch] because of our history. So I think the crowd was partially doing that because it was me. And then also, it didn’t help that she’d been gone for how long? A year, year and a half? And she posted a picture outside the venue. So the fans wanted her; they hadn’t seen her. So I was like, Eff you. You’re going to respect Rhea [Ripley], you’re going to respect me, and you’re going to watch this match. And it went from those chants to this is awesome.”
Flair retained her title over Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 38 Saturday. The finish saw a referee bump then Rousey locked in the armbar and Flair tapped, but the referee didn’t see it. Flair with a big boot to Rousey as Rousey got the referee up for the win.
H/T to WrestleZone for the transcript
