What was supposed to be an amicable title exchange between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch has become quite the talking point. The segment was a heated one as Flair opted to drop her title on the mat as Lynch reached for it rather than hand it over. The Man then reacted by throwing her own title at Flair. According to multiple reports over the weekend, that is not what was supposed to happen.
Apparently, Flair had voiced her concerns with the segment earlier in the show, stating that she didn't want to look weak. The Queen's way of remedying that was to adlib and make Lynch pick the title up off the mat. Normal service was resumed when Sasha Banks entered the fray, but tempers flared once again when both Superstars got backstage. Words were exchanged, Sonya Deville, who was also in the ring for the segment, reportedly wanted to fight, and Flair was escorted from the building.
Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch Used To Be Best Friends
Flair and Lynch clashing in any sort of way when the cameras are rolling isn't surprising. They have been battling in the ring for years, putting on match of the year contenders in some cases. Some fans will have attributed that to the fact The Man and The Queen are, or were, good friends behind the scenes. It is often said that the closer two wrestlers are in real life, the better their matches are together. Not only do they know and trust each other more, but they're also willing to lay their shots in a little harder as they know they'll get away with it.
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It seems somewhere along the way Flair and Lynch's on-screen transformation from friends to enemies on-screen has overlapped into real-life. It may well be the pair's quest to both be number one. Not just in the women's division or even only in WWE, but in all of wrestling. Prior to the pandemic, and now that both are wrestling on a regular basis, both have ascended to the summit of WWE. There's only room at the top for one though, and that is clearly causing friction between the two of them.
Flair even spoke to this on Renee Paquette's Oral Sessions podcast that her and Lynch don't have the same bond they once did.
That real war for the top spot can be traced back to Survivor Series 2018. Lynch was preparing to face Ronda Rousey one on one. However, an injury inflicted by Nia Jax resulted in Flair taking her place. With Flair presumably penciled in to take on Rousey at WrestleMania the following year, it was assumed the matches would just trade places. Not the case. Flair was awkwardly shoehorned into that match which arguably resulted in the first-ever women's main event at WrestleMania being less than it could have been.
Charlotte Flair Has Had A Tough Time Of It
Back to the present day, and it has been a rough year for Flair. It feels like a lifetime ago now, but it was earlier in 2021 when WWE had her feuding with Lacey Evans, insinuating that the former marine was romantically involved with Ric Flair. Around that same time, Flair's partner Andrade was granted his release from WWE. A prolonged absence after that, which resulted in The Queen missing WrestleMania for the first time in years, had some fans thinking she would follow Andrade out the door.
A few months later Ric was also granted his release, again suggesting all is not well between WWE and the Flairs. Then, over the summer, her dad was firmly in the crosshairs of wrestling fans after sexual assault allegations against The Nature Boy resurfaced through Dark Side of the Ring. Needless to say, Flair is probably under a tremendous amount of pressure right now. She has shown that by flipping off fans, getting into a shoot live on air with Jax, and now everything involving Lynch. With reports suggesting the locker room is very much on Lynch's side, it will be interesting to see what Flair's next moves are in the coming weeks.