Charlotte Flair returned to WWE on the December 30 episode of WWE SmackDown, confronting Ronda Rousey to cheers from the crowd. Charlotte would bait Ronda into defending the SmackDown Women's Championship, leading to Charlotte winning her 14th Women's Championship.
Charlotte winning the title received more cheers from the crowd following her title victory.
Charlotte has primarily been a heel throughout her WWE career, largely due to her bragging about her success and always being in the title picture.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Charlotte explained the change she's had to make now that she's getting cheered by the audience.
"I think the key is to just let them react. I'm not thinking, 'what can I do to make them cheer me?' There's no active thought, 'I have to act this way.' The only thing I'm really focused on is how I approach promos. Maybe don't say '14 times' four times. On Raw, don't say, 'I beat these women to get here.' I 'faced' these women. Just little changes like that," she said before laughing and commenting, "I'm just going to re-write history and pretend I didn't have this and I'm just happy to be here."
She continued, "When I had the opportunity to talk to the fans when I beat Ronda in that first promo back, I really did mean what I said. Consistency, passion, and dedication have always been my driving force. I've still had all these opportunities and have done all these things, but there are still little things that can be better. There are still things that can be worked on. There is always that next big rivalry. I'm never complacent. That is how I'm approaching this 'good guy' whatever run. It's not bragging about what I've done. It's saying, we've done this on my journey because of my love for being in the ring for you guys, the fans. Not that corny, but even though I've been bad most of my career; consistency, dedication, and passion have gotten me here."
When asked what she envisioned for her return, Charlotte said, "I definitely didn't think I was going to be champ off the bat. I knew the direction I wanted to go. It felt weird if I didn't comeback and go after Ronda again. If I just ignored her, even though we've been in and out of storylines the past couple of years, I needed to go back to Ronda. Where I went from there, I didn't think I was going to have the same reception every week. It almost gets better. You always get that one good 'YAY!' It's been that way, even on live events. I'm committing to it."
Flair was part of WWE Raw XXX, getting into a confrontation with WWE Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair. Fans can see why Charlotte was off television from WWE WrestleMania Backlash to December by clicking here.
Flair is not currently scheduled to compete at WWE Royal Rumble. Fans can check out the current lineup for WWE Royal Rumble by clicking here.
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