New WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair says 2022 was the best year of her life.
As noted, Flair made her surprise return earlier tonight during the final SmackDown of 2022, defeating Ronda Rousey to capture the SmackDown Women’s Title, right after Rousey retained over Raquel Rodriguez. This was Flair’s first appearance since dropping the strap to Rousey in the “I Quit” match at WrestleMania Backlash back on May 8.
In an update, Megan Morant caught up with Flair after the match, as seen in in the video below. Flair was asked how she would describe what it felt like to become a 14-time singles champion on WWE’s main roster.
“I’m a little speechless right now,” Flair began. “2022 was just the best year of my life, even going back to the beginning. I was able to wrestle in Saudi Arabia for the first time, I beat Ronda Rousey for the first time, at WrestleMania, which is always a bucket list [item]. Then I got married, traveled the world with my husband, and ending the year where I belong, where I’m home, it was a picture-perfect fairy-tale.”
Flair continued and revealed what she was thinking before she made her return at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL earlier tonight.
“And this was the first time I’ve ever been away since 2015,” Flair said. “So, to come back like… before my music hit, I was like, ‘Do I know how to be that, that serious?’ Like, for 8 months I haven’t had, like… I’ve gotten to… I never taken off the crown, but I just kinda, like, let it chill, you know what I mean? So, I’m just honored to be back, and [give] payback to Ronda. Like, I don’t know if she thought that I was just going to let the last match, the ‘I Quit’ match go. When I went home, I thought to myself, ‘I’m a lot of things to a lot of different people, but the one thing I’m not is, I’m not a quitter.’ So, I just waited until the right opportunity, the right time, and… 14-time.”
Flair ended the interview with wishes for a Happy New Year, and a “Wooo!” to the fans.
With tonight’s win, Flair is now a 14-time world champion, not including her two runs with the WWE NXT Women’s Title. Flair was the inaugural RAW Women’s Champion, and held that title on 6 occasions. She has also held the SmackDown Women’s Title on 7 occasions, and she had 1 run with the WWE Divas Title, which was the final reign before it was deactivated. Flair was WWE’s fifth Women’s Triple Crown Champion and their fourth Women’s Grand Slam Champion, and she’s held the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles on 1 occassion.
There’s no word yet on if Rousey vs. Flair will take place at the WWE Royal Rumble, but we will keep you updated. It was reported earlier today that WWE had plans for Rousey vs. Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 39, but it remains to be seen if that match will still happen now that Rousey has dropped the title.
Below are related clips from tonight’s SmackDown:
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