Charlotte Flair has headlined WrestleMania before, but this year’s edition of “The Showcase of the Immortals” will be extra special for “The Queen.”
Flair will defend her WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey in the main event of WrestleMania Saturday on April 2. This high-profile match comes one year after “The Queen” missed WrestleMania 37, so it’s a particularly meaningful main event for the champion.
In an interview with Graham “GSM” Matthews of WrestleRant, Flair [previewed the bout and explained that it’s like a full-circle moment for her career, as she previosuly won the RAW Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 32, which was held in the same stadium as this year’s show, AT&T Stadium. She also referenced her own history with Rousey and pointed out that it’s “crazy” how this clash has come together.
“There are just so many emotions, to be honest,” said Flair. “Like WrestleMania 32, for me, winning the inaugural RAW Women’s Title and then coming back and main-eventing in the same stadium, it’s like my career has come full circle. And then I remember in 2015, half joking, half serious, calling out Ronda at the time, and now we’re main-eventing. It’s just crazy.
“And I remember I was so devastated when I missed WrestleMania last year, I mean that’s literally what every talent works towards every year and then not being on it…and then coming back and main-eventing, anything can happen. I’m trying to keep my emotions intact because I still have three weeks to go. So it’s like that week of, I feel like everything’s gonna hit me. But I’m excited for the opportunity, and Flair vs. Rousey just sounds big.”
Flair has already enjoyed plenty of WrestleMania moments; among other examples, she made history alongside Rousey and Becky Lynch in the first all-women’s main event in WrestleMania history. That being said, when asked whether this match with Rousey is even more meaningful, while “The Queen” didn’t want to diminish the significance of the other highlights, she described how the magnitude of this bout makes it a “pinch-me moment.”
“I don’t want to say that my moments with Asuka, Sasha, Becky and other talent weren’t as big, and I don’t want to take away from those moments,” said Flair. “But I guess when you think of freak matches, and for someone from industry, it’d have to be Ronda. Because you know what she’s done in her industry, you know what I’ve done in mine, and like you said, our names sell the match itself. So yeah this is definitely one of those pinch-me moments, check it off the bucket list for me.”
Fans won’t have to wait much longer to see Flair face Rousey; the first night of WrestleMania 38 is Saturday, April 2.
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