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When Charlotte Flair (Ashley Fliehr) walks toward a wrestling ring, there’s always a chorus of “Woooooooo” echoing through the venue.
It’s a sign of respect for her legendary dad, Ric Flair, one of the giants of the professional wrestling world.
While Charlotte may not be the “stylin’, profilin’, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ n’ dealin’ son of a gun,” she’s a superstar in her own right, a multi-time WWE champion and currently a member of the Smackdown brand that will be in Ottawa at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday night.
While she grew up getting to know her dad’s wrestling pals, guys like Arn Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, Macho Man Randy Savage, Sting and Ricky Steamboat, it didn’t seem likely she’d ever be doing this.
“To me, it was just my dad’s job and I liked taking my volleyball team to his matches,” Flair said. “You know what’s crazy to me … it’s so surreal that I do this. I would have never thought in high school or college that I’d be where I am today. It was destiny, I guess.
“It was April 2012, when The Four Horsemen were inducted (into the WWE Hall of Fame). I was in Miami with my little brother (Reid) and my dad. My little brother had been wanting to wrestle. He was working the independent circle. One of the agents at the time, Johnny Laurinaitis, was like, ‘Why aren’t you doing this?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ ”
Flair gave it a try in July 2012.
“It wasn’t something I ever thought about and dreamed about,” she said. “It was my brother’s dream. I’m just happy I took a chance and he opened the doors for me to something I never thought would be possible.”
Flair has learned to adapt, whether she’s scripted as a “babyface” or as a “heel.”
“When I debuted on the main roster, people just hated me. They were booing me,” she said. “Social media got to me a bit. They were like, ‘She’s just there because she’s Ric Flair’s daughter.’ I was like, ‘Why doesn’t anybody like me?’ It really got to me. I had to make an executive decision and commit to being what people thought I was. If they think I’m going to be that way, act that way. So it was about committing to being, ‘Yeah, I’m Ric Flair’s daughter, yeah the dirtiest player in the game, yeah I’m entitled, yeah I got here without having to do anything.’ Now I just know how to turn up. It was more about understanding you’re just playing a role.
“Since I am a babyface now, I am going to put all my energy into being the best babyface ever. My comfort zone and where I feel most natural is being a heel. My character could stay the same and people like my character versus disliking it. It’s more me trying to figure out how that works and staying true to my character regardless of what side I’m on. I do feel more comfortable as a heel, but I’m taking the babyface challenge on as much as I can.”
Ric Flair, former pro wrestler, watches an NBA game between the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Bobcats in Charlotte, N.C., in 2012. Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images
Being the daughter of The Nature Boy, The Dirtiest Player in the Game, has pushed Charlotte. It has made her want to be the best, to be The Queen.
“It’s what has motivated and pushed me and been a constant force or reason to continue to get better every day,” she said. “Just thinking of what an icon he is, wondering, if there wasn’t a Ric Flair, what some of the entertainers today would be like. Little kids now, it’s crazy of me to think they’re wooing because it’s me. Really, it’s their parents wooing because of my dad.”
Flair has been part of an energizing of women’s wrestling within WWE. The female superstars have received increased roles, a great opportunity to show off their incredible talent.
Said Flair: “With the (U.S.) women’s soccer team, with Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey and people like that, and our audience wanting more for us, I just think I happened to be in the right place and the right time for women’s wrestling to really take off. A lot of that has to do with having more defined characters. We’re being given more meaningful storylines and more time. You can’t tell a storyline without having the time and I think that’s really what helped catapult the women’s division to where we are today.”
She joked she was looking forward to going to Tim Hortons when she arrived in Canada.
“Canadians are very dedicated,” she said. “Montreal and Toronto are two of my favourite cities to work in, especially with TV coming to Toronto Tuesday. I think the crowd is going to be rowdy.”
The trip to Canada is part of the daily grind of WWE superstars.
“The first thing I always want to tell people is we are in a different city five days a week. It’s not glamorous,” Flair said. “Driving from town to town, living in hotels, sometimes not going home during the week because you have an appearance, you really have to be dedicated to do this job. We don’t have an off-season. Every other sport has an off-season. It just goes to show how tough we are.”
WWE IN OTTAWA: World Wrestling Entertainment will heat up Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday night.
The WWE Live Summerslam Heatwave show starts at 7 p.m. Among the advertised performers are AJ Styles, Jinder Mahal, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, Rusev, Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Charlotte Flair and Carmella. The following night, the Smackdown stars will appear at Kingston’s K Rock Centre. Toronto’s Air Canada Centre will host both the RAW (Monday) and Smackdown (Tuesday) live TV shows.
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It’s a sign of respect for her legendary dad, Ric Flair, one of the giants of the professional wrestling world.
While Charlotte may not be the “stylin’, profilin’, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ n’ dealin’ son of a gun,” she’s a superstar in her own right, a multi-time WWE champion and currently a member of the Smackdown brand that will be in Ottawa at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday night.
While she grew up getting to know her dad’s wrestling pals, guys like Arn Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, Macho Man Randy Savage, Sting and Ricky Steamboat, it didn’t seem likely she’d ever be doing this.
“To me, it was just my dad’s job and I liked taking my volleyball team to his matches,” Flair said. “You know what’s crazy to me … it’s so surreal that I do this. I would have never thought in high school or college that I’d be where I am today. It was destiny, I guess.
“It was April 2012, when The Four Horsemen were inducted (into the WWE Hall of Fame). I was in Miami with my little brother (Reid) and my dad. My little brother had been wanting to wrestle. He was working the independent circle. One of the agents at the time, Johnny Laurinaitis, was like, ‘Why aren’t you doing this?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ ”
Flair gave it a try in July 2012.
“It wasn’t something I ever thought about and dreamed about,” she said. “It was my brother’s dream. I’m just happy I took a chance and he opened the doors for me to something I never thought would be possible.”
Flair has learned to adapt, whether she’s scripted as a “babyface” or as a “heel.”
“When I debuted on the main roster, people just hated me. They were booing me,” she said. “Social media got to me a bit. They were like, ‘She’s just there because she’s Ric Flair’s daughter.’ I was like, ‘Why doesn’t anybody like me?’ It really got to me. I had to make an executive decision and commit to being what people thought I was. If they think I’m going to be that way, act that way. So it was about committing to being, ‘Yeah, I’m Ric Flair’s daughter, yeah the dirtiest player in the game, yeah I’m entitled, yeah I got here without having to do anything.’ Now I just know how to turn up. It was more about understanding you’re just playing a role.
“Since I am a babyface now, I am going to put all my energy into being the best babyface ever. My comfort zone and where I feel most natural is being a heel. My character could stay the same and people like my character versus disliking it. It’s more me trying to figure out how that works and staying true to my character regardless of what side I’m on. I do feel more comfortable as a heel, but I’m taking the babyface challenge on as much as I can.”
Ric Flair, former pro wrestler, watches an NBA game between the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Bobcats in Charlotte, N.C., in 2012. Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images
Being the daughter of The Nature Boy, The Dirtiest Player in the Game, has pushed Charlotte. It has made her want to be the best, to be The Queen.
“It’s what has motivated and pushed me and been a constant force or reason to continue to get better every day,” she said. “Just thinking of what an icon he is, wondering, if there wasn’t a Ric Flair, what some of the entertainers today would be like. Little kids now, it’s crazy of me to think they’re wooing because it’s me. Really, it’s their parents wooing because of my dad.”
Flair has been part of an energizing of women’s wrestling within WWE. The female superstars have received increased roles, a great opportunity to show off their incredible talent.
Said Flair: “With the (U.S.) women’s soccer team, with Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey and people like that, and our audience wanting more for us, I just think I happened to be in the right place and the right time for women’s wrestling to really take off. A lot of that has to do with having more defined characters. We’re being given more meaningful storylines and more time. You can’t tell a storyline without having the time and I think that’s really what helped catapult the women’s division to where we are today.”
She joked she was looking forward to going to Tim Hortons when she arrived in Canada.
“Canadians are very dedicated,” she said. “Montreal and Toronto are two of my favourite cities to work in, especially with TV coming to Toronto Tuesday. I think the crowd is going to be rowdy.”
The trip to Canada is part of the daily grind of WWE superstars.
“The first thing I always want to tell people is we are in a different city five days a week. It’s not glamorous,” Flair said. “Driving from town to town, living in hotels, sometimes not going home during the week because you have an appearance, you really have to be dedicated to do this job. We don’t have an off-season. Every other sport has an off-season. It just goes to show how tough we are.”
WWE IN OTTAWA: World Wrestling Entertainment will heat up Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday night.
The WWE Live Summerslam Heatwave show starts at 7 p.m. Among the advertised performers are AJ Styles, Jinder Mahal, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, Rusev, Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Charlotte Flair and Carmella. The following night, the Smackdown stars will appear at Kingston’s K Rock Centre. Toronto’s Air Canada Centre will host both the RAW (Monday) and Smackdown (Tuesday) live TV shows.
查看原文...
