Charlotte Flair On Her Father Having A Tough Time With Retirement, If His Marriages Affected Her
"The Queen" Charlotte Flair has managed to get out of her father's shadow, and has made a massive impact in the WWE. Charlotte spearheaded the women's revolution couple of years ago, and now finds herself in the midst of yet another significant period for the women in the company.
Charlotte will face Becky Lynch for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship at WWE Super Show-Down this weekend in Melbourne, Australia, and "The Queen" was this week's special guest on Lilian Garcia's podcast show, Chasing Glory With Lilian Garcia.
During the podcast, Charlotte was asked if Ric Flair's multiple marriages affected her while she was growing up, and Charlotte Flair talked about how she used to get frustrated with people drawing parallels between Ric and her.
"I didn't? I can't say it affected me growing up", Charlotte revealed. "Because my mom and dad were married I think for 27 years. So obviously, he didn't leave until I was graduating high school. But when I first started in this industry, and understanding what the dirt sheets are and being in the public eye, and being available to public scrutiny through social media; people making fun of me for being just like my dad really got to me. Because by the time I got to the WWE, he had been married four times. So, yeah, it really bothered me. Because obviously I don't like to give negativity life or respond, but I always looked at what people were saying, and thought like, 'But you don't know why, or what I went through'.
"But I'm not making excuses; my dad's situation was completely different to my situation. So that was hard."
Charlotte also talked about how Ric Flair's world changed when he retired from the WWE in 2008, and said that while she couldn't understand his decisions back then, she could now relate with what he did.
"It wasn't that I got to know him more, it was understanding his decisions more. When he retired in '08, he really had a hard time, which I'm pretty sure is public knowledge. And I couldn't understand why he just couldn't go out on a high note. You retire with Shawn Michaels, you have the biggest retirement ever; I mean the weekend just seemed to be so magical, being in Orlando. And it was hard after that. I couldn't understand, like, 'Dad, why are you having such a hard time? Live your life. You had an amazing career.'
"But now being a part of this business, and understanding there is nothing like being in the ring. There's nothing like being the main event, or feeling the crowd or the rush, or getting ready backstage and the camaraderie. Yes, the travel is hard, and you're away from your families, but there is nothing like what we do I think anywhere else. And he did this his whole life. I've only done it a couple of years. So now I understand his choices and decisions, and why he couldn't walk away, and why he still is who he is."
If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit Chasing Glory With Lilian Garcia with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.