WWE News: Charlotte Speaks On The Evolution Of NXT’s Women’s Division
Since joining the WWE’s main roster, nobody from the female portion of NXT’s developmental system has made a sustained impact quite like Charlotte Flair.
The daughter of two-time WWE Hall of Fame Ric Flair has stepped out of her father’s shadow and etched her name into the history books. From her pay-per-view winning streak, to her unmatched athletic skill, the self-professed “Queen” is the class of the WWE roster. But when she started her journey, she did not have the amenities all aspiring WWE talent have at the WWE Performance Center.
In a recent chat with The Independent about her career, Flair recalled her time as a beginner in the WWE system, to where it has evolved today — specifically for women.
“I started in NXT when we were still FCW in Tampa. Then we crowned the first NXT men and women’s champions and I remember thinking ‘wow, what is this?’ Maybe the girls are now impatient but it is a process. Then the WWE Network launched and NXT started to travel – I’ve been with it and watched it grow,” Flair said. “The new talent that comes in now just goes to the WWE Performance Centre with state-of-the-art facilities; they didn’t see what it was like to go from Tampa to that or when we were just doing shows in Florida. Now they go all over the country and overseas, so it is a slow progress and when you think you’re ready, you’re not ready – when I got to the main roster I was still learning – and still am.”
This mentality is something Charlotte spoke to during an interview with the Inquisitr last year. In just a matter of a few years, she went from “the daughter of Ric Flair” to a five-time champion, holding the WWE Diva’s Championship four times and WWE RAW Women’s Championship once.
Being a WWE superstar isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle for Flair — something that has educated her to why her dad is so in love with the business.
“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,” she 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.”
Flair’s advice to aspiring talents in the WWE system is to be patient, work hard, and soak in all the knowledge possible from the army of experienced coaches at NXT.
“So maybe the girls are now impatient but it is a process. They have been able to skip a few steps with how NXT is now and you want to go through it faster and say ‘I’m ready, I’m ready!’ I see how it’s hard, but it’s a whole different ball game up here. I’m sure if the girls are [becoming impatient], someone like Sara Del Ray (NXT Coach) who is the rock for the women down there can talk them through the fact that this is a waiting game.”
By the same token, if success does come their way, the woman who calls herself “The Genetically Superior Athlete” urges all those men and women to not get complacent.
“You don’t want to get complacent and just accept things – just because we’ve had those moments and we have come so far, you don’t want to ever take that for granted because the moment you do, it can all go away.”
[Featured Image by WWE]
