Charlotte Flair spoke to Mike Jones of DC 101 about her new autobiographical book, "Second Nature: The Legacy Of Ric Flair And The Rise of Charlotte." She talked about why she was hesitant to open up fully about her life, what motivates her inside and outside the ring for her character, a Ric Flair update and more.
You can listen to the full interview at this link or read these submitted highlights:
Being amazed that she has a book out:
"I worked on this project for two years, and it's kind of like when you finally debut on the main roster, you're like 'gosh I've been doing this for so long!' Well, I didn't really do it that long but you know what I mean. You work towards a goal and then it's finally accomplished. I just can't believe I have a book. It's crazy!"
Why she wasn't keen on opening up so much:
"When this opportunity first came to me, I was really hesitant. Because for so long, I was so ashamed of my past and embarrassed. I spent the whole time I've been in WWE trying to build this character who is unbreakable, who is not vulnerable and who is not relatable. For me to let down my guard and let people in, I had to make that decision and once I did I had to own it."
How wrestling changed her life:
"The message that I really want people to know is that no matter how old you are and no matter how bad it is, you have the choice to change. That's what wrestling did for me. Believe it or not, it was wrestling. If you had asked me in my early 20's or in high school if I was going to wrestle, I would have laughed at you. I found something that I was passionate about and that changed my life."
How her late brother Reid motivates her now:
"Reid wanted to be Ric Flair. And I think part of what drives my character is my brother struggled so much with being compared to my dad when he was on the independents and it really frustrated me. No one understands what it's like to walk in the shadow of a famous father, let alone Ric Flair, in the wrestling industry."
How much she owes to NXT trainer Sara Del Rey:
"She told me to believe in who you are. She could see the insecurities and because I didn't come from modeling and I was taller, she just knew I wasn't comfortable in my own skin. She was the one that told me to be strong, be athletic, be you. She brought that out of me."
Her reaction to the 100' tall photo of the WWE women for WrestleMania 32:
"I didn't know it was real. I thought, 'that's cute, look what the fans are making in the middle of the arena.' Then Sasha sent me a text of the picture of it because she had a selfie of it. I said, 'oh, that's real! We really are in the middle of the arena, on AT&T Stadium!'"
You can listen to the entire interview here.
