For much of her in-ring profession, wrestling fans knew Charlotte Flair as “The Queen,” a highly confident and thriving multi-time world champion, prominently featured on WWE TV. Behind the scenes, though, lies Ashley Fliehr, a girl with insecurities just like all human being.
During an interview with “Sports Illustrated,” Charlotte explained the foremost differences between her on-screen WWE persona and her real-life self, which she once tried to hide from the general public. “I desired to create this untouchable woman that, for me, I got to pretend to be,” she said. “I’m not as confident as Charlotte in my real life. So once I got to be Charlotte, I could have that like armor. Not having all of it together, being vulnerable, not winning on a regular basis. I used to be hiding once I was going through all those things, but rising from them is what made me higher. And bringing that to Charlotte when I believed she needed to be like just the perfect on a regular basis. The person losses of whether it was losing Mania or in my personal life has just made Charlotte higher.”
Since returning to WWE programming in early 2025, Charlotte has incorporated elements of her true self into her public appearances. On one occasion, Flair candidly spoke concerning the feeling of embarrassment that arose following her divorce from former WWE star Andrade. More recently, Charlotte opened up concerning the guilt of being a second-generation wrestler that haunted her in her early wrestling days.
Through her partnership with Alexa Bliss, fans have also gotten to see Charlotte work alongside, moderately than against, another person within the ring. Together, Charlotte and Bliss captured WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships at SummerSlam 2025, with a 100-day reign following for them.
Charlotte Understands Why Fans Couldn’t Connect With Her At First
“In my eyes when people kept saying that Charlotte Flair, ‘She’s only a champion,’ to me, I’m considering, yeah, I’m the 14-time women’s champion. I redefined a complete generation, and also you’re telling me that is not enough?” Charlotte continued. “Regardless that that is all I actually have thought of every second, every minute, daily was being the perfect and that is not enough? And now where I’m now knowing that I actually have this unmatched resume, but understanding people just couldn’t connect with me because I used to be holding a lot back. So whether that was opening up about being divorced or being embarrassed or being in comparison with my father or being insecure of whether it’s what I appear to be or how old I’m, because unfortunately men appear to improve and girls appear to become older.”
Last month, Charlotte celebrated her fortieth birthday. Also in the identical month, she and Bliss vied for the Women’s Tag Team Championships over again, this time in a fatal-four-way match at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas. There, WWE Hall of Famer Brie Bella and a returning Paige secured the win after the latter blocked a Twisted Bliss, then drove the previous “Goddess” into the mat with the Rampaige.
Charlotte, the daughter of Hall of Famer Ric Flair, made the jump from personal training to skilled wrestling by joining WWE in 2012. Across the subsequent decade, she’d enjoy 14 reigns as a world champion in the corporate, the newest of which ended by the hands of Rhea Ripley in April 2023. Hopes for a fifteenth have been placed on hold as Charlotte stays within the tag team highlight alongside Bliss as an alternative.
In the event you use any of the quotes in this text, please credit “Sports Illustrated” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.