As noted, Charlotte Flair recently spoke with Alfred Konuwa of Forbes for an in-depth interview promoting WrestleMania Goes Hollywood on April 1 and April 2 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.
In addition to the highlights we previously published from the interview, “The Queen” also explained during the discussion why she feels her match with Rhea Ripley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship should headline this year’s shows on “The Grandest Stage of Them All.”
Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview where she touches on this topic with her thoughts.
On this being her seventh WrestleMania and how she’s just as hungry as ever before: “You know what’s crazy is I am just as hungry as my first Mania. It’s just the feeling is different in terms of my first WrestleMania. I didn’t have the same level of confidence, but in terms of being hungry and wanting to set the bar and wanting to walk out with the best match, being the brightest star, stealing the show, like all of those things still have the same intensity going in. And almost more pressure because I’ve already set the bar and the expectation here. So the expectation of me every time I walk out has to be a different level.”
On how all of her past matches with Rhea Ripley have been different: “Oh, each opponent’s so different. Rhea and I already have a built-in story. We faced each other at NXTXT -1%. I beat her for the NXT title. We faced each other in a Triple Threat at WrestleMania Backlash after WrestleMania in Tampa, which was me, her, and Asuka. Then I faced her at Money in the Bank in Texas, then in a Triple Threat in Las Vegas at Summer Slam, me, her and Nikki ASH. So we aren’t strangers to each other, it’s just she’s three years better and I’m three years better. I feel like I taught her a lesson during all of these encounters and now she needs to come to me.”
On why their match should headline this year’s WrestleMania: “Well, one, she won the Royal Rumble, so that’s guaranteed a main event spot at WrestleMania. Not solely relying on that, but I think you have two titans, two athletes who—regardless of their story or who have faced each other prior—are gonna put on a main event match solely on that, knowing that they’re capable of the storytelling. And possibly me retaining or crowning a new SmackDown Women’s Champion. I think when a main title is on the line, it’s always main event worthy. So, to me it’s important for that championship to feel that prestigious, to feel that important. But again, like you said, there are a lot of stories that are worthy. So we’re just gonna have to make sure between now and WrestleMania that we give the audience something to sink their teeth into, to feel that the stakes are that high.”
Check out the complete interview at Forbes.com.
