Charlotte Flair Responds to Babyface-Turn Backlash, the Downside of Being Heel, More

Between headlining multiple premium live events and winning a record-setting 14 world women's championships, Charlotte Flair has seemingly accomplished it all in WWE.

Only now is she facing one of her biggest challenges to date: finding her footing as a fan favorite.

The second-generation star has always been in her element as a heel and has done her best work in that role. However, SmackDown was in need of a new top female babyface, so Flair answered the call upon her return from an eight-month hiatus at the tail end of 2022.

She's been the reigning SmackDown women's champion since then and is slated to defend her title in a highly anticipated rematch with Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 39. Before then, an in-depth documentary covering her career and life outside of the ring will air as part of A&E's Biography: WWE Legends series this Sunday, March 26.

Her face turn is far from complete, but in time she aims to exceed expectations and inject new life into her ever-evolving character.

The Queen sat down with Bleacher Report to discuss embracing change, showing fans another side to her, why her upcoming encounter with Ripley may mark the final chapter of their story, and more.

Check out the complete video of the interview on the next slide and read on for the highlights.

A&E Documentary Will Showcase a Different Side to Her

Even after eight years of Flair on WWE's main roster, fans have yet to be introduced to who she is in reality.

Her current "character" on television is as close as the audience has ever come to seeing the person she actually is, and the upcoming episode of Biography: WWE Legends will showcase that.

Amazingly, the SmackDown women's champion is the only active WWE talent being spotlighted this season. Other subjects include The Iron Sheik, Chyna, Kane and Jerry Lawler.

She hopes that this documentary will do what no scripted WWE promo has done for her so far, and that's provide an inside look at her life beyond the ring.

"I haven't seen it yet, but I think it will be refreshing for the fans and maybe the casual viewer to see maybe a softer side of me, opening up things I've been through or things I struggle with," Flair said. "When you see Charlotte Flair... I'm trying not as much right now, but she always has a resting bitch face on. I'm human. I've dealt with things, too. Seeing that character show a different side, I think it's important for people to see we're all human."

How Her Babyface Run Has Been Rewarding for Her

Flair has worked several stretches of her career over the last decade as a babyface, so it's not an entirely unfamiliar feeling for her.

However, she's never been portrayed quite the way she has lately. She's essentially the same person she was before, except without ripping into the audience or playing up her character's privilege.

For the first time, she's being herself on camera and she's enjoying it, whether the audience accepts it or not.

Having to constantly question whether fans truly resented her admittedly affected her greatly, but not having to hear the boos for the time being has helped with that.

"Having that mindset for so long where you think people actually don't like you, you start to believe it, kind of," Flair said. "Whereas toward the end of my last run, where people just didn't know whether to cheer or boo because they respected me to a certain degree. Now I've just committed to playing that role as the good guy no matter what without getting in my own head, it's been really rewarding."

She noted that her positive crowd reactions are especially evident on live events, and that it's been incredibly rewarding getting to interact with everyone at ringside and not having to resort to robotic tendencies.

"If I ever don't like that moment of being the good guy," she continued, "it still feels like it doesn't matter because they're getting to see me after all these years, how much the business means to me, how much they mean to me, how much being a professional freaking wrestler means to me."

Responding to Criticism That Her Babyface Turn Hasn't Felt Natural

Although she is attempting to make the most of it, Flair's face turn was certainly a sudden shift.

It had been years since she last embraced the audience, and for good reason. As a second-generation wrestler whose father is Ric Flair, her character was easy to boo and served as the perfect foil for any face. Fans essentially loved to hate her, though some have taken it too far.

Contrary to popular belief, Flair is very much not the same person she portrays on television. She admitted that the overabundance of negativity from fans occasionally upset her at the end of her heel run as much as it did in the beginning.

Thus, dealing with less of that now that she's a babyface has been refreshing.

"It's affected me my whole career, I think," Flair said. "I'm like, why am I the one character no one can disconnect from and see that there's a person there? Like I'm in charge of my storylines? My biological father is Ric Flair, so I think that's hard for them to push aside as well and a lot of assumption, being the bad guy for so many years."

Attempting to drown out the toxicity from social media has also been a recurring dilemma she's had to deal with.

"I try really hard not to read online because maybe I'll open my Twitter and I'm like, 'I'm putting that down! They're saying I'm doing a bad job being a good guy!'" she said. "And then I go to these [house] shows or even SmackDown and I'm like, 'Hey, are you guys hearing what I'm hearing?' I wish I hadn't let it affect me so much through the years. ... I don't think I've had an opportunity on screen to really let this phase of my career being the good guy let all of the pieces fall into place.

"I know people will say, 'She doesn't feel natural,'" the champ continued. "No, that's just me being me out there. Right now, I'm just me for the most part. Amped up, obviously, but Charlotte Flair is not good or bad. She's just entertaining."

Why She Initially Wasn't a Fan of Her New Entrance Music

Along with the evolution of Flair came new entrance music. She had used her previous walkout song by CFO$ for nearly a decade from 2014 through 2022 and was asked by the company to change it once she came back due to WWE no longer working with CFO$.

It's been nearly three months, and she noted that she hasn't completely warmed up to it yet. However, her presumably elaborate entrance at WrestleMania 39 could serve as a significant point.

"So, that wasn't my decision," Flair revealed. "I'm not good with change, in real life or in wrestling. I like what I like. But we're not with that company anymore with the music. They came to me and said, 'Do you want to update?' I said, 'Sure,' and we played with it and played with it. I really wanted Diplo to mix it because I love techno. I love house music.

"[My new song] is whatever," she added. "It's taken me a couple of listens to feel it when I walk out because the other music is so, I don't want to say iconic ... but here we are. I'm owning it and let's get some years with it, I guess."

Her initial criticism of the song was that the slower tempo reminded her of Ric's old entrance theme, which led to her and the production team having it changed for a second and third time. She feels the song should hit harder from the get-go like her last theme did, but it remains a work in progress, nonetheless.

WrestleMania 39 Will Mark the End to Her Unfinished Story with Rhea Ripley

As most people are already aware, Flair and Ripley first faced off for the NXT Women's Championship three years ago. Flair shockingly beat Ripley for the title at WrestleMania 36 and again for the Raw Women's Championship at Hell in a Cell 2021.

Flair has been in the driver's seat this entire team, but Ripley will finally get her chance at WrestleMania 39 to avenge those high-profile losses when they meet for the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Flair revealed that their rivalry was originally supposed to culminate at SummerSlam 2021 before Ms. Money in the Bank winner Nikki A.S.H. was incorporated into the equation.

Ripley never did score that elusive victory over Flair, and the feud was forgotten about until now.

"I think there would have been another match after our Money in the Bank [match] had Nikki A.S.H. not cashed in on me," Flair said. "I think this is now the ending to that. I think Money in the Bank would've probably led to another, but then you have this crazy cash-in out of nowhere and we just never crossed paths again. ... In hindsight, I had no control of that. I'm saying it now: I don't have control. I'm so flattered that people think I had that much power. I'm very flattered, but trust me, I don't."

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.