WrestleMania is more than «The Granddaddy of Them All» or «The Showcase of Immortals» for SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair.
It is the culmination of everything she worked hard to achieve.
Flair, whose real name is Ashley Fliehr, is the daughter of WWE legend Ric Flair, but since arriving on the WWE scene, she has been able to make a name for herself in the women’s division. She won the SmackDown Women’s Championship for the seventh time in 2022 following her return from a seven-month hiatus from television and next month she will look to defend her title against Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 39.
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Wrestling superstar Charlotte Flair attends the 2018 Fan Expo Canada at the Metro Toronto Convention Center on August 30, 2018 in Toronto. (Che Rosales/Getty Images)
Flair, who made history at WrestleMania 35 by being part of the first-ever women’s match to main event the live premium event, explained to Fox News Digital what makes the event so special less than two weeks after her last appearance.
«The short answer, to me, would be that it’s a great pop culture show. To me, it’s everything,» he said. «Watching my dad retire in Orlando and then knowing I’m walking that same mile, carrying on that legacy. WrestleMania is where the biggest stories, the biggest stars, the biggest stories line up.
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WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair steps to the ring during an event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. (Rob Tringali/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
«I look at it as a sport. The top two teams play each other. You may not watch wrestling, but everyone tunes in to WrestleMania. That’s how big it is. That’s how important it is to me.»
Flair said that he keeps the memory of his brother alive in his mind as he enters every WrestleMania he participates in. Reid Flair died in March 2013 of a drug overdose.
«My brother passed away just before WrestleMania, where it would be the first time he would see me wrestle,» he said. «So every WrestleMania, that’s all I think about. It’s like, man, my brother is going to see me wrestle for the first time. My brother is going to see me, and he never did. That comes to mind every WrestleMania.»
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Rhea Ripley reacts after winning the WWE Royal Rumble at the Alamodome on January 28, 2023 in San Antonio. (Alex Bierens deHaan/Getty Images)
Flair and Ripley will meet for the championship at the event. Ripley won the Royal Rumble in January and challenged Flair for the title. Ripley has been on a roll for the last year or so as she joined Judgment Day as a stablemate and completely swept the women’s division on her way to her shot at a title.
«Timing is everything,» Flair told Fox News Digital. «Rhea is on the path that she was always meant to be. And I feel like everything that’s happened to get to where she is now is what got her to where she is now. And that’s so important to embrace.»
Smackdown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair takes the stage during pre-race ceremonies ahead of the 65th annual NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Courtney Culbreath/Getty Images)
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Flair said she was looking forward to this second match at WrestleMania. Previously, at WrestleMania 36, Flair defeated Ripley via submission to win the NXT Women’s Championship.
«For me, it’s everything.»
«Pressure. Expectation. Delivery. Wanting it to be as good as I know it can be. Not thinking too much. Right now, I’m so calm trying to save all my emotions for next week,» Flair said when asked what her mindset. he was liking the event coming up. «Knowing that we have to redo WrestleMania 36, which was amazing, knowing that somehow our paths aligned again the way they should.
«It’s just two women, two titans, I mean, when you look at us physically, I think the word is awesome. Like when you see us, you just know we’re going to beat each other up.» Literally. I just know it’s going to be hard. It’s going to be aggressive and I can’t wait every second.»
Charlotte Flair enters the arena during the Smackdown Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on April 2, 2022. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
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WrestleMania 39 will take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on April 1-2.