WWE News: Charlotte Continues Stepping Outside Father’s Shadow

Less than one week remains until former two-time WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and current champion Sasha Banks make history by being the first two women to compete in a Hell in a Cell match.

Their feud goes back to their days in NXT; Charlotte, the athletic and talented daughter of two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair and Banks, an undersized underdog trying to follow in the footsteps of her hero Eddie Guerro, battled for prominence in WWE’s minor league system.

So when both ladies enter Satan’s Structure this Sunday, it will be the culmination of hard work. For Charlotte, however, it will the latest step out of the shadow of her father.

In a recent interview with The Daily Record, Charlotte spoke about her work ethic when she entered professional wrestling, trying to create distance from her father.

“I’d be in the gym all day, studying footage at night but struggling to show the people that I want it and I’m not just Ric Flair’s daughter,” Charlotte said. “I wanted the spotlight and he was beside me. I had to try hard overnight to not let him overshadow me, so I worked that much harder because I was not going to let that happen.”

Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte part of a ‘triple main event’ at WWE Hell in a Cell https://t.co/yj9JMPx4vM pic.twitter.com/gBRr9iIKo7

— Wrestling Observer (@WONF4W) October 23, 2016

But work was only one part of the equation. She needed a character, a personality, something to separate her from the pack — much like her father’s braggadocious and at times outrageous promos created a legendary persona. It was clear that being a heel (bad) was Charlotte’s calling — not shocking considering her heritage. So when she began boasting of her unmatched athleticism and pedigree, fans started to dislike her.

“It finally clicked for me that I was telling people I’m genetically superior and that’s not likable,” she said.

But stepping out of her dad’s shadow was the last part. At first, Charlotte played up her lineage, teaming with father on-screen as he played the role of her manager. Earlier this year, Charlotte spoke to the Inquisitr about how special the last year of her life has been — especially getting the quality time with her dad that wasn’t there when she was younger.

“It is my life. I’m on the road most of the time. It is my life and being able to travel with my dad this year was really special because a lot of people don’t understand what we do and I think it was hard for my dad, explaining to us why he was never at home,” Charlotte said. “It was because he loved what he did so much and to be able to share that with him and understand what he dedicated his life to and then obviously try to carry on his legacy… it has been amazing.”

After ditching Flair earlier this year, Charlotte has cemented her spot on RAW as arguably the top female on the roster. This Sunday’s historic bout at Hell in a Cell in Banks’ hometown of Boston, Massachusetts, may determine which of the two is the brand’s top female performer.

However, the brand split — separating the roster and making each superstar exclusive to one brand — has been effective and a source of pride for Charlotte.

“Well, one, splitting up the women, I think, opens doors for people who haven’t necessarily had the opportunity to shine in the last year,” she said. “But, you know, I wanna be the best and being on RAW without our group of women pushes me to work harder. With the brand split, obviously, RAW wants to be better than SmackDown. SmackDown wants to be better than RAW. So it just makes you up your game a little bit.”

[Featured Image by Theo Wargo/Getty Images]