WWE superstar Charlotte Flair recently spoke with the LA Times to hype this Saturday’s SummerSlam pay per view, where the Queen takes on Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H. in a triple threat showdown for the Raw women’s championship. Highlights from the interview are below.
How she’s preparing for her triple-threat matchup against Ripley and Nikki:
I’ve been very fortunate to have many Triple Threat matches in my career, so it’s something I’m very prepared for. Although being the bad guy, I almost feel like it’s double hard for me, because Nikki and Rhea will be focusing on me while I have to focus on both of them.
Her reaction to fans chanting for Becky Lynch during her matches:
Given our history, and it’s been two years since our feud, everything happened when she turned on me at SummerSlam a couple of years ago. So I think it’s natural for fans to do that and it doesn’t make sense to do it to anyone else.
Whether that upsets her:
No, I like it because it allows me to play back with them. And realize, if they aren’t reacting at all, that’s bad. It gives me a chance to play and have a cheeky line. At Money in the Bank, I may have gestured to the audience, but that was more like “Don’t be disrespectful to Rhea Ripley. This is your first night back and do not do that and you are going to enjoy the show and don’t do that to her.” And by the end of the match they were chanting “This is awesome.” Rhea and I have never had the chance to dance in front of a live audience. That was our first time to really show them how great this rivalry has become.
How she deals with criticism on social media:
So, I was really hurt by the social media criticism when I returned because I came back in the best shape of my career. Because I had lost 20 pounds, people assumed things. I made a point to come back in the most incredible shape ever. And it was really the first time since 2015 that I had been away for a significant amount of time. In terms of social media, it’s a day by day thing. I always have to remind myself that it’s easier to be negative than positive. It’s easier to hide behind a keyboard. And someone that is putting someone else down for their physical appearance already must hate themselves to some degree. So you have to feel sorry for them that they do that to themselves. That’s the only way that I can deal with it. I say to myself, “Why are you in such a bad place to feel that about me.” In terms of negativity, I pick and choose my shots, try not to respond, because they want the shout out, the want the notoriety, they want the attention. It’s so important to not get negativity life. Just rise above it, wear that invisible crown, hold your chin high, and don’t let the crown slip.