Charlotte Flair describes how plans changed for her feud with Rhea Ripley in 2021.
Flair defeated Ripley to win the Raw Women's Championship at WWE Money in the Bank 2021. The two stars had been engaged in a lengthy feud at the time, so many fans expected to see a rematch. Instead, Flair lost the title to Money in the Bank winner Nikki A.S.H. the next night on RAW. She later regained the title in a three-way that included Ripley at WWE SummerSlam 2021.
Almost two years later, Flair now reigns supreme as the SmackDown Women's Champion. She will defend the title against Ripley, the winner of the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble, at WWE WrestleMania 39. This bout will be a rematch of their clash at WrestleMania 36, where Flair beat Ripley to win the NXT Women's Championship.
Speaking with Graham GSM Matthews of Bleacher Report, Flair looked back on her rivalry with Ripley and noted that it was supposed to conclude at WWE SummerSlam 2021, but Nikki A.S.H. entered the mix, and plans changed. The SmackDown Women's Champion shared her belief that this WrestleMania match will finally give the story closure.
"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. 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," Flair said.
Flair recently reflected on her previous WrestleMania match against Ripley. Click here to see what she had to say.
In a recent interview, Flair made it clear that she wants her match with Ripley to main event WrestleMania 39. Check out her comments here.
Catch up on our coverage of the March 24 episode of WWE SmackDown here. For a full review, check out our post-show podcast on our YouTube channel.
