Charlotte Flair says she never understood why the WWE Divas Championship drew so much criticism, defending the butterfly belt and the role it played in her career.
Speaking with Ring The Belle through SiriusXM Pro Wrestling Nation, the 14-time Women’s Champion pushed back on the long-running idea that the title was a lesser prize.
“I never understood the controversy in it,” Flair said. “Just because it had a butterfly? Well, I’m still a badass and I wear butterflies all the time.”
The Title That “Owned” Her
Flair has a complicated relationship with the championship. She framed it as a belt that meant more to her than she initially realized.
“It was the one title that I felt owned me and that I didn’t own,” she said. “But as an athlete I was so proud to hold that title, to feel like a diva when at my core I was an athlete, and realizing you could be both at the same time.”
That blend of femininity and strength is something she views as a strength rather than a contradiction. “It’s having the duality, the feminine energy and being a badass at the same time,” Flair said. “That’s what makes women so special: we can do it all.”
Closing A Chapter Of History
Flair was the final Divas Champion. She won the belt at Night of Champions in 2015 by ending Nikki Bella’s 301-day reign, the longest in the title’s history, before WWE retired it in favor of the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 32.
She sees that moment as central to where she ended up. “Had I not retired the Divas Championship and ended Nikki Bella’s longest-reigning Divas Championship reign, where would I be today?” Flair said. “It was all part of the history.”
Flair remains active on WWE television, recently advancing in the Queen of the Ring tournament with a Fatal 4-Way win over Jade Cargill, Lyra Valkyria, and Sol Ruca.