Charlotte Flair Comments on Her Knee Injury Being a “Mixed Blessing”
As noted before, Charlotte Flair has been out of action for WWE since this past December due to a torn ACL, torn meniscus, and torn MCL injuries and underwent surgery this past January.
A recent episode of the Forever Young Podcast featured Flair as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Flair’s thoughts about her initial reaction when she suffered the knee injury and her injury being a mixed blessing for her life and wrestling career.
“Well when it first happened, I thought my life was over (she laughed while speaking about her knee injury). I was like, oh my gosh, a perfect storm. My husband (Andrade) had just come back to the company or was on his way back. I knew he was gonna be debuting soon… From the moment I was taken out, I just have kept telling myself that I’m gonna come back the best version of ‘The Queen,’ when I do come back and you never like to be sidelined due to an injury. But then again, I’m not sure if I would’ve ever sidelined myself had it not been for the injury. So, it’s been a challenge but a challenge I know that’s gonna make me better in the long run because I’ve had the opportunity over these — I think it’s been like nine, eight months now — to go back and see things that I would have done over, what could I do over? Look at the landscape of the division, try to figure out where I can add character layers when I come back and I think the biggest struggle for me mentally is I’ve never not been able to rely on my athleticism. So like, where I might not be the best on the mic or a certain look or I’ve always been so proud of how physical I am and not having that feel 100 percent has been an adjustment for me. Where like before, I know the girls respected me for being tough and not being injured and when this happened, I was like, (*gasp*), I can be injured. It’s been a mixed blessing. For me, it feels very vulnerable. But I know that in the long run, it’s gonna be better for me.”
Flair also provided an update on a potential return from injury to the ring.
“Oh, I can’t give that up. I still have to wait for people to be surprised (she responded when asked when she’s coming back). They have to be surprised.”
Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com
Cody Rhodes on “Very Much Looking Forward To” WWE Bad Blood Homecoming
Billboard held a recent interview with Cody Rhodes. One of the topics discussed included Rhodes thoughts about WWE’s Bad Blood 2024 event this Saturday taking place in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia and bringing the WWE Championship home to Atlanta.
“It always feels Game of Thrones-like in a sense. Here’s the belt from formerly the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the Northeast Territory and I was just this Georgia Championship Wrestling, Jim Crockett Promotions, WCW kid. To be able to be the first Rhodes to have it, but also bring it back to where The Omni once stood. I mean, I got goosebumps when they put The Omni in the scene from [SmackDown’s] Georgia Tech [episode] because being able to be on the ground of that building and to have this [belt], was not expected. It’s a homecoming. I’m very much looking forward to it.”
Reason for Lack of Sami Zayn vs. Gunther for WWE World Title Match for Card of WWE Bad Blood 2024
This past Monday’s WWE RAW show in Evansville, Indiana featured the official announcement of Gunther defending his WWE World Championship against Sami Zayn. This match was announced to be taking place on next week’s RAW show in St. Louis, Missouri instead of this Saturday’s Bad Blood 2024 event in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that the reason why WWE officials decided for the WWE World title match to not take place at Bad Blood 2024 was due to them feeling that their event didn’t need that match. WWE officials reportedly made the decision to use the match to help boost the card for next week’s RAW show instead.
Meltzer reported that WWE officials currently do not have any plans to add any more matches to Bad Blood’s current card of five matches. Meltzer also reported that this Saturday’s event is also current expected to be around three hours in length.