Charlotte Flair has no problem speaking her mind in WWE—and she’s tired of that being treated like a character flaw. The Queen says having an opinion can lead to a woman being labeled “difficult,” even when she has years of experience behind her.
Flair addressed the issue while speaking to Ilona Maher on Power Hour. Maher asked how Charlotte handles WWE’s scripted nature when her competitive instincts naturally make her want to win. Maher specifically asked whether Charlotte challenges creative decisions behind the scenes or changes things as they go. Flair described that process as a 50/50 situation before explaining why disagreements can become complicated.
“Oh, 50/50. It is tough. A lot of people that I work with haven’t played sports, and I also feel, being a woman in the industry, sometimes if I do have an opinion, it’s like, ‘Oh man, she’s just difficult.’ No, I’m not difficult. I have an opinion. I’ve done this for a long time. I deserve to have it.”
Charlotte also understands that WWE is not a legitimate athletic competition where winning is the only objective. She said performers sometimes have to put their pride aside and accept a decision if it serves the larger story.
“At the same time, you kind of have to let down your ego as an athlete and go, ‘We are here to tell stories, and we’re here to elicit emotion.’ If that’s what’s best for the story, then you have to just eat it.”
That realization did not come easily for Flair. She admitted that she previously attached her emotions to whether she won or lost, even though she knew the results were predetermined.
“What I’ve learned over the last year—and I was guilty of this—is all I could attach my emotions to was winning, winning, winning. When it’s like, ‘Wait, hold on. This still isn’t real. Your losses are making you win as a businesswoman.’ For me, as an athlete, having to understand that has been such growth.”
Charlotte is not apologizing for caring about her work or questioning decisions. She has simply learned that losing a match can sometimes do more for her career than another victory—and that speaking up does not automatically make her difficult.
Do you think experienced WWE talent should have more freedom to challenge creative decisions? Leave your feedback in the comments.
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