Charlotte Flair turned heel in her match against Ronda Rousey in the latest plot twist within the women’s division leading up to WrestleMania season.
Ronda Rousey defeated Charlotte Flair via disqualification, following a heel turn by an enraged, kendo-stick-weilding Charlotte, at WWE Survivor Series 2018 in a cut-and-paste matchup that once upon a time was rumored to headline WrestleMania 35.
Ronda Rousey was victorious via DQ against Charlotte at WWE Survivor Series 2018. Credit: WWE.com
The unique match implemented elements of catch-as-catch-can wrestling, and while not without its faults, it became increasingly spectacular throughout.
Once considered one of WWE’s top dream matches, presumed long-term plans for Rousey-Flair were derailed after a series of unplanned events led to a Becky Lynch becoming a cult favorite despite WWE’s head-scratching decision to turn the perennially sympathetic babyface heel at WWE SummerSlam. One heel turn, a SmackDown Women’s Championship victory and a bloodied face later, Lynch has drawn ubiquitous comparisons to all-time babyfaces in Steve Austin and/or Daniel Bryan.
Following Monday’s potentially iconic show-closing angle, Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey seemed too good for Survivor Series. Lynch’s injury, while devastating on many fronts, came with just as many disguised blessings as it did curses. With an incrementally compelling Lynch-Rousey program being postponed for now, perhaps the currently embattled Nia Jax didn’t force Becky out of her top-billed match against Ronda Rousey.
Charlotte Flair turned heel at WWE Survivor Series in a match against Ronda Rousey. Credit: WWE.com
Maybe the pro wrestling gods did.
Ronda Rousey, who was mostly treated like the babyface she wouldn’t have been had she faced Lynch, was victimized at Survivor Series by yet another WWE heel turn deep into an entertaining match against the previously floundering Flair.
With Charlotte’s sudden heel turn, Rousey maintains a level of sympathy (though not so much with this heel town in Los Angeles following Charlotte’s actions), while Charlotte becomes every bit the villain she was to live arenas throughout her feud with Becky Lynch.
Charlotte Flair is now cemented in her proper role as a heel, and red-hot characters like Becky Lynch are always in danger of going the way of Rusev Day in a moment’s notice. Perhaps Becky-Ronda isn’t as much of a slam dunk as previously thought.
Maybe, just maybe, Charlotte-Rousey at WrestleMania still has a chance.
2018 will mark a historic WrestleMania season that could—and to many should—feature the first women’s main event. Even before Roman Reigns’ unfortunate departure, Rousey was WWE’s biggest mainstream star. Prior to his exit, Reigns had headlined a record four consecutive WrestleManias, and with the Universal Championship in tow late in the year, he very well could have been on his way to a fifth consecutive WrestleMania main event. Depending on his recovery timeline, that elusive record is still very much in play.
But as long as Rousey has assumed the torch as WWE’s top star, all eyes will be on the former UFC bantamweight as she continues to knock on history’s door.
But in addition to supplanting Reigns’ WrestleMania main event slot, she may also begin to absorb similar scrutiny as the ghosts of Becky Balboa, and now a heel Charlotte Flair, continues to loom large.
I’ve been a pro wrestling columnist and video blogger for a leading national sports website since 2010. I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a major in business economics, an emphasis in accounting and a minor in sports management. As a lifelon…
Alfred is a contributor to Forbes Sports Money. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty, Instagram @Akonuwa and LIKE him on Facebook.
