Ric Flair wanted his daughter Charlotte to be trained by two of the best.
Charlotte Flair started at NXT in 2012. She's a homegrown talent who was trained by Sara Del Ray and the trainers at the Performance Center, which opened in 2013. Charlotte never had wrestling dreams, but began to pursue it in a more serious manner following the passing of her brother Reid in 2013.
Before she started to cut her teeth at NXT, Ric wanted Charlotte to be trained by Victoria and Mickie James. Speaking to Landon Buford, Victoria revealed Ric's plans.
"Ric asked if I could help train his daughter Charlotte along with Mickie James," she said. "I think I was the scheduled for an appearance that did not come through and to have Ric Flair call you and say train my daughter. How cool is that?”
Victoria, who debuted in 2000, is a former two-time WWE Women's Champion and one of the most respected female talents in wrestling. Mickie James, who is still making headlines in WWE today, is a former six-time Divas/Women's Champion.
James confirmed that Ric wanted her and Victoria to serve as Charlotte's trainers.
“Ric really wanted us to train Charlotte before she was in the business. The only actual training I did with her was when I went down to NXT, but she was injured at the time," said Mickie. "So, I never actually got to see her wrestle. I was down there for like a week at the training facility. What I recall is Ric wanting Lisa (Victoria) and me to train Ashley (Charlotte Flair). I can confirm that Ric did express interest prior to her pursuing a career in wrestling and he wanted her to learn from who he considered the best. He has always been very kind to Lisa and me throughout our careers.”
James continued by discussing Charlotte's career and how she has to live up to her father's legacy.
“I think it is incredible, especially being that this wasn’t her dream. I think she was totally content with the life she was living at the time. I feel like Reid’s death was really the catalyst in her decision to go full force and pursue a career in wrestling after his passing," she said. "Obviously, Ric Flair’s shoes are such big shoes to fill. He is considered the greatest of all time by many and certainly one of the greatest of all time, in my opinion, like Shawn Michaels, and the list goes on. I think that was certainly the catalyst for her desire to try to be the best. She recognizes that she’s going to be constantly compared to her father and she wants to be at least perceived somewhat on that same level. Obviously, she’s done well for herself thus far.”
Surprisingly, Mickie and Charlotte have never shared the ring together. The two have been on opposite brands since James returned to the company in 2017. They won't compete against each other at WWE Evolution, but both ladies will play big roles at the Oct. 28 event.
