Charlotte Flair is a three-time Raw Women’s Champion following Sunday night’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view and is probably the most hated woman in WWE since at least Vickie Guerrero, if not the glory days of Chyna. But things weren’t always so rosy for the second-generation wrestler.
At the beginning of the then-“Divas Revolution,” Charlotte was positioned as a plucky babyface do-gooder, and although she captured the Divas Championship with that persona, the whole package never really came together until her character went over to the dark side and embraced those Flair family heel tendencies.
As part of a feature on the leaders of the women’s wrestling revolution on ESPN.com, Flair put her finger precisely on why she just didn’t click as a good guy … and probably never will.
The hard part for me was not the wrestling — it was showing emotion, telling a story and being able to connect with fans. Coming out as Ric Flair’s daughter and being called athletically gifted, it’s hard to say, “Hey, like me! You can relate to me!” It wasn’t working, so I completely switched my character. I find it easier to pretend to be the person everyone already thinks I am versus being who I am.
That’s a really great point, and something that people occasionally lose sight of as babyfaces in WWE: fans need something they can relate to. It’s very difficult for fans to get behind someone whose circumstances make them read as entitled or undeserving of their talents or station. That’s why Charlotte is such a no-brainer natural fit as a heel … and it certainly helps that she’s real, real damn good in that role.
