Is Charlotte Flair’s Role Being Redefined in WWE?

Charlotte Flair lost in her effort to become the SmackDown Women’s champion when she was defeated by Becky Lynch at Evolution. The bitter rivals faced off in a Last Woman Standing Match and Lynch ultimately retained the title by putting Flair down through a table from the ring apron.

Now, Lynch moves on to Ronda Rousey. The Raw Women’s champion came face to face with Becky after Evolution and their match was announced for Survivor Series on November 18. But what happens to Charlotte Flair? The face of women’s wrestling in WWE has been soundly beaten by Lynch and is now out of title contention. While she is most certainly still a player in WWE, her role is being redefined.

Like her father before her, Charlotte is thought of as the gold standard. Even her critics admit that she’s both extremely talented and athletic in the ring. WWE elevated her as the top star of the company and she fully embraced that role like no one else could. She is the top tier of the division and there’s surely no changing that now.

But even Ric Flair did not wear the world championship all the time. There were moments when he too walked the walk and talked the talk without the gold around his waist. It didn’t change who he was as a performer. He was still The Nature Boy and he was still the best. But unlike the old school NWA, WWE doesn’t need today’s Flair to be the champion in order for the company to succeed.

Watch Charlotte Flair backstage:

Will Charlotte captain Team SmackDown at Survivor Series?: SmackDown LIVE, Oct. 30, 2018

Women’s wrestling has reached an all-time high. From main event matches to matches typically reserved for the men, the women of WWE have become fully immersed in the company. Thanks to Evolution, women’s wrestling has indeed become a viable commodity in WWE.

The female Superstars of WWE take immense pride in their work. They also take pride in stealing the show at every turn. It’s a normal occurrence for them and at this point, fans actually expect it to happen. This is especially true of Charlotte Flair, who remains the most elite Superstar in WWE’s women’s division. So now that she has put over Becky Lynch for perhaps the final time, will Charlotte’s star fade in the eyes of the fans?

Fans were asked to buy into Charlotte and they did just that. The process took some time but Charlotte proved herself every step of the way. She did improve with time and she did become the talent that the company wanted her to be. So has it become an all-or-nothing situation for her? It very well could be that fans will now look at Charlotte in a different light. For many, it’s indeed all about the championship. For some fans, a title defines the Superstar wearing it. 

This was also true of Charlotte in the beginning. But in the five years since her debut in NXT,  Charlotte has reached a point in which she has become bigger than a championship. A title reinforces her standing in the company and she wears it well. But she doesn’t necessarily need it. She’s just as over without a belt as she is with one. 

Watch Charlotte and Becky Lynch at Evolution:

Becky Lynch's ladder leap sends Charlotte Flair through announce table: WWE Evolution 2018

So while some may view her differently now, the truth is that Charlotte should be just fine. Her next title win will come because it’s time for her to hold it again, not because she needs to hold it for any particular reason. She may even gain some new fans along the way, as many believe that she wears the championship a bit too often. The perception that Flair gets opportunities over others is very real. But now that she’s out of the title hunt, that perception may change.

The same thing has happened with John Cena as well. The man that was once the face of Vince McMahon’s company is no longer working a full-time schedule. Since his departure, John’s critics have somewhat silenced their hate for him. Indeed, John is receiving respect from many fans online for his decision to leave when the time was right, rather than overstay his welcome.

Cena’s situation is a bit different of course because he’s really not around anymore and Charlotte is still a full-time performer. But the parallel exists due to the WWE faithful now having the chance to see Charlotte as the team player that she truly is.

Therein lays a major point of contention for anyone that chooses to criticize Charlotte Flair. The Queen has put Becky Lynch over on multiple occasions. Becky is now the top women’s wrestler on SmackDown Live and its thanks in large part to Flair’s willingness to elevate her. Charlotte proved that she will do business and do it the right way whenever the time comes. She cares about the title and more importantly, she cares about the business. 

Watch Charlotte talk about women’s wrestling and Ronda Rousey:

Charlotte Flair calls out Ronda Rousey | Get Up! | ESPN

So perhaps Charlotte does have a new role in WWE. Maybe now it’s not always about how many times she will hold the Raw or SmackDown Women’s Championship. Perhaps now she will become the caretaker of the titles, the one that can be step in  at any time and take over whenever WWE needs her.

Now she can focus on being the elite performer that she is while also being the top hand that the upcoming female Superstars will test their mettle against. Many have said that Charlotte is the Roman Reigns of the women’s division, but maybe she is The Undertaker.

Charlotte is still going, of course. She is a marquee star and she still has the full support of WWE behind her. She will be the women’s champion once again and if it doesn’t happen on SmackDown Live, it will happen on Monday Night Raw. Many pro wrestling insiders believe that Charlotte will face Ronda Rousey in the main event of WrestleMania 35 and that may very well be the case. When it comes to Charlotte Flair, it’s obvious that her story is still being written.

 

 

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Wrestling Rumors. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes,YouTube, iHeart Radio, boinkstudios.com and live every Friday at 12pm EST on Wrestling Rumors Facebook Live