Charlotte Flair on why her match with Rhea Ripley should headline one night of WrestleMania, working as a babyface

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

Forbes interview with guest Charlotte Flair
Interview conducted by Alfred Konuwa
Available at Forbes.com

On working as a babyface: “I think the character is just bigger than placing her in a good guy box or a bad guy box. I think I’m an attraction, and that’s the role I need to play. My character has always done whatever it takes to win, and I think that’s something people can get behind. Would I succumb to cheating? I don’t know. I haven’t been put in that position yet, the character doesn’t know that territory. But I think the most important thing that I’ve thought about when I’ve walked out there is just enjoying the crowd. For so long I was just so focused on ‘they have to dislike me, they have to dislike me.’ And now it’s kind of embracing the respect and going with it and not overthinking what it means to be a good guy. Like you can be arrogant and really good as a good guy and that’s okay to have swag. People like swag, like look at my dad.”

On why her match with Rhea Ripley should headline one night of WrestleMania: “Well, one, she won the Royal Rumble, so that’s guaranteed a main event spot at WrestleMania. Not solely relying on that, but I think you have two titans, two athletes who—regardless of their story or who have faced each other prior—are gonna put on a main event match solely on that, knowing that they’re capable of the storytelling. And possibly me retaining or crowning a new Smackdown Women’s Champion. I think when a main title is on the line, it’s always main event worthy. So, to me it’s important for that championship to feel that prestigious, to feel that important. But again, like you said, there are a lot of stories that are worthy. So we’re just gonna have to make sure between now and WrestleMania that we give the audience something to sink their teeth into, to feel that the stakes are that high.”

Other topics include her hope of appearing on-camera with her husband Andrade, doing the NXT Vengeance Day opening video, the next female star to come out of NXT, working with Trish Stratus and Lita, and more.