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After an absence which stretched for well over six months, Charlotte Flair is back in the fold in WWE and she is already the SmackDown Women’s Champion once again. Flair confronted Ronda Rousey after her title match against Raquel Rodriguez, then made little effort before convincing her into defending the gold, and beat her in a few seconds, shocking everyone in attendance and at home. Whilst her win did get a big pop, and although she has a big enough following that there will be some people happy with it, this is a poor decision from WWE, and it looks to cause more issues that it solves.
The Issues In SmackDown’s Women’s Division Aren’t Fixed With A Title Change
The reign of Ronda Rousey on SmackDown was widely looked upon as one of the worst reigns in WWE in 2022. With lackluster feuds, questionable promo work, and an overall dip in in-ring quality, there were a lot of groans whenever she came on screen. It must be said though, that much of this comes down to booking. With a lack of star power on the brand, Rousey was facing many wrestlers with not enough experience to properly help her through matches, and the writing of her rivalries lacked any sort of proper creativity.
When looking at her reign as Raw Women’s Champion in 2018, it was far more successful due to the quality of her opponents and writing of her character. Simply swapping her for Charlotte Flair won’t fix any issues in the SmackDown women’s division, as the roster is still pretty much exactly the same. Matches such as Flair vs Emma, Shotzi, Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan, and more won’t put butts in seats, as they’ve all been unsuccessful in title pursuits over the last six months already. There is certainly an argument to be made that the problem is with the division rather than Rousey herself, so Flair isn’t exactly a fix.
Charlotte Flair’s Win Feels Undeserved
Over the last year, despite the lack of quality at times, those in the SmackDown women’s division have been doing their best to make the most of a bad situation, with the likes of Rodriguez standing out in particular. For Flair to be away from WWE for half a year, only to walk back in and be given the gold straight away feels like a waste, and it feels undeserved. With fourteen reigns to her name already, this is widely regarded as far too many, especially since some of her reigns have meant nothing at all.
WWE would have been better suited to trying to build a new star if they were to make a title change, as someone like Rodriguez, or even Shayna Baszler, would have benefited in a major way by winning the title. For Flair, she doesn’t really benefit, because around her waist these women’s titles have often felt like toys used to only add another tally to her number of reigns in WWE. There is a chance that this may just be another reign to get her one step closer to her father’s record. The reason why this could be a short reign is because reports the very day of the title change from the likes of WrestlingNews.Co claimed that the plan for WrestleMania 39 was changed to Ronda Rousey vs Rhea Ripley. This could still be the case, but it would mean either a non-title bout or another pointless reign from Flair.
Charlotte Flair As A Babyface Champion Has Proven To Not Work
Another reason why this is a poor call from WWE, is that it seems as though they are running with Flair as a babyface. This has proven to never really work, and if they were to pursue Flair vs Ripley for WrestleMania instead, the fans would turn the face/heel dynamic on its head, as everyone would want to see the younger and fresher star win the match. A heel turn for Flair could take place too, but it just feels like a rinse and repeat of her not working as a babyface, necessitating a heel turn.
Flair does bring some much needed star power to SmackDown, but a chase for the gold would have been far better than stepping through the curtain and getting handed the championship. It further devalues the efforts of everyone else on the roster who has been fighting to get spots throughout her absence, and it also further damages the aura of Rousey. She looks foolish for accepting the challenge and losing so quickly, and for someone whose star power is depleting, this does her no favors at all. Rousey is someone who should rarely ever lose, yet this is the second time Flair has bested her.