“The Queen” made her grand return to WWE this past Friday, with one thing on her mind.
On the December 30 edition of SmackDown, Charlotte Flair made her triumphant return to the blue brand with a new theme, new gear, but the same objective: reclaiming the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Flair previously sustained a “fracture of the radius” at WrestleMania Backlash in May where Ronda Rousey wrenched an armbar on Flair through a steel chair. Flair would be forced to shout “I Quit!” to end the match, resulting in a massive title change, and a lengthy recovery time for Flair.
As Flair was effectively written off of television, she got married to long-time boyfriend Andrade El Idolo later that month. However, her absence would soon persist, extending to over seven months due to personal reasons, until now.
After Ronda Rousey retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship over Raquel Rodriguez, Flair stunned her former foe with her re-emergence. Flair then laid down a challenge for “The Baddest Woman On The Planet,” leading to a second title defense for Rousey that night.
This time, though, Rousey suffered a different fate, as “The Queen” reversed an armbar attempt into a pinfall to capture the victory, and title. With this win, Flair becomes a 14-time World Champion in WWE, and walked into 2023 with gold around her waist once again.
New Year, New Milestone
Since arriving to WWE in 2012, Charlotte Flair has wooed audiences with her athletic ability, poise, and natural affinity for gold. In 2014, Flair achieved her first milestone, defeating Natalya for the NXT Women’s Championship in the finals of a tournament to claim the title.
In the years following, Flair accrued an impressive resume of title wins spanning the NXT, RAW, and SmackDown brands. As she begins 2023 as champion, again, Flair reached a new milestone.
Across 10 consecutive calendar years now, Flair has held a women’s championship, beginning in 2014 and extending through 2023. Her recent win over Ronda Rousey secured Flair’s seventh title reign with the SmackDown Women’s Championship alone.
