I wasn't used to people critiquing how I looked. And then always hearing, 'God she looks like Ric Flair.' Yes, he's my dad. Who am I supposed to look like? I took it so serious and to heart.
— Charlotte Flair
If you find something that you're passionate about, your world can change.
Charlotte Flair is continuing her father's legacy but paving her own, and she's opening the door for women all over the world to be superstars in a male dominated industry.
That is a message I hope to send and that I know all the other women hope to send: that no matter what your job is or what you want to achieve in life, anything you set your mind to, you can do.
Negative comments in terms of body image are the hardest thing the women probably struggle with. But I think the best thing that we can do as WWE superstars is taking that negativity and using it in a positive way, because there are so many young kids on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to not send the message of hate on to.
I guess because I never pictured myself wrestling, I find myself wanting to push every limit possible in this industry.
I didn't even think about good guy, bad guy when I started. I was that unfamiliar with the business.
I never saw the female 'Ghostbusters,' but that's mainly because of my job, not because I wouldn't enjoy it.
For so long, I was ashamed of my past, and I think that crippled me a lot in having confidence.
My dad was just so charismatic and witty. One day, I hope people say that I was just as good as my dad on the mic in my own way. I will never be saying 'Space Mountain' or 'limousine riding,' but I hope people say I can control an audience, that I was as captivating as him.
If you look at the Rock's crossover, Stone Cold, my dad too, in his era, I want to do that. I want to mean that much to the industry. That's just a matter of working harder every single day.
When I won the NXT women's title from Natalya at Full Sail, becoming the second-ever woman's champion for NXT, that's when I knew, 'Okay, I'm doing the right thing,' and that I could do this.
I could do a standing back flip at 13.
I idolize my dad because he was such a hard worker.
My character, Charlotte, is very confident, and I try to be more like my character in real life. Not that I'm not confident, but I've really found my personal growth through work.
Everyone always says, 'You must have always wanted to be just like your dad.' But my dad's career had nothing to do with my journey.
The hard part for me was not the wrestling - it was showing emotion, telling a story, and being able to connect with fans. Coming out as Ric Flair's daughter and being called athletically gifted, it's hard to say, 'Hey, like me! You can relate to me!' It wasn't working, so I completely switched my character.
I know, some kids, their parents have nothing in common and don't ever talk. I can call my dad at 3 o'clock in the morning, and I know he is going to answer.
That's my message: I'm not alone, and neither is anyone else.
Nothing is more important in our industry than respect.
To know how far I've come as a person and an entertainer and a businesswoman, I just hope I represent independence and intelligence and athleticism - everything that a woman should want to be.
I started very late in the game, and it hasn't changed my path to success.
Anyone can enjoy a wrestling match, but it's how you feel about that person that takes it to another level.
I don't think there's anything else in the world that my dad loves talking about more than wrestling.
I think with the Mae Young Classic, bringing in 30 women from all over the world shows what an impact women have in the company.
I think Asuka is a superstar. She is incredibly talented, and she made a name for herself even before coming to NXT.
I'd love to be an action hero.
I want to be a larger-than-life superstar who is known worldwide, outside of the WWE.
I'm built for wrestling. I have a high pain tolerance. My nose has been broken a couple times. Black eyes.
My job is healing to me. Charlotte is the woman you want to become. A strong, groundbreaking, independent female in a male-dominated world.
I want to be a Roman Reigns; I want to be a John Cena.
I want to be the first female to main-event WrestleMania, and I just want to continue to get better and better and continue my dad's legacy.
I've played sports, and I've been a tomboy my whole life.
My dad was my favorite wrestler growing up, obviously.
I didn't want to hurt my parents' feelings about how hard certain things were in my 20s, how hard it was when my dad left my senior year before I went to college.
Professionally, I'm a perfectionist, and to allow people to see that maybe I wasn't always perfect or put together - that my actual personal life was very messy at times... it was scary to let people know that.
I spent 26 years watching my dad, and I didn't know anything about the business until I started myself.
No one ever has a chance to get to know the real me because I do play a bad guy, and sometimes it's hard to soak in the comments or the negativity because that's the response you want to elicit. I am a normal person, but that's part of the job. I'm playing a character, and that's my role.
I never felt comfortable in my own skin, and I feel like I missed out on a lot of high school experiences because I was so worried about where I fit in because I was so confused.
I won the NXT championship as a heel; then the fans grew to respect - not love, respect - me. I was popular because I was seen as the next to get called up.
I'm so proud of my body. I'm so proud to be an athlete. I wouldn't change anything.
When I started wrestling and then turned into the Evil Queen, I created this character who I needed in my personal life. This woman who is strong, intelligent, confident, empowering. That's what I needed in my personal life.
It's so hard to tell people I'm in a video game... just because I grew up with my dad being in a video game.
I've always been a big fan of the Body Issue. Growing up as an athlete and having a very athletic body, I was always able to relate to them and look up to the athletes who posed for it.
I think what people don't realize is the transition from NXT to the main roster is a big jump. It's getting a whole new audience familiar with a certain character. If you debut too many women at one time, it's hard for the audience to get to know, understand, and see the rise of that character.
I spent my whole upbringing in sporting camps. I didn't do cotillion.
I do want to carry on my dad's legacy, but I also want to carve out my own path. I have to work harder, I think, just because I do have that last name. I don't want people to think that's why I am where I am in this industry. I put in the time, and I want to be just as good as my dad was.
With injuries, every match varies. The black eyes are accidents. The broken noses are accidents. But the bumps from when we land on the mat, they're hard. I think it looks easier, or the fans don't really understand what's happening, but it does take a toll.
The biggest moment in our business is when you walk through that curtain, and if you don't believe in yourself, the fans won't believe in you or invest in you, and they see that.
I was always around wrestling. I went to shows, but I never pictured myself where I am today. My brothers, David and Reid, were more into wrestling. When they wrestled, it was hard on my brothers because they were always compared to my dad.
