Stephanie McMahon and Charlotte Flair were the guests on the debut episode of Sportsnet’s “Top of HER Game,” airing at 6:30 pm ET/3:30 pm PT on SN1 and SN NOW.
Here are some highlights:
Stephanie McMahon was asked “what does she admire about Charlotte”: “I’ve known Charlotte for a very long time, long before she got into WWE. I think what I admire most about her is she is truly herself. She is so strong, not just physically but emotionally. When she comes into the room, you can’t help but notice her. I can’t be more proud of the woman she has become since I’ve known her when she was a lot younger. She is proud and true and an incredibly gifted athlete with this huge heart. She loves unconditionally. I have so much respect for her and everything she has been through. She is a remarkable human being and I am proud to know her.”
Charlotte responds to what she thinks of Stephanie: “For one, I don’t want to call the business now male-dominated, but WWE is known to be male-dominated. Having Stephanie, not necessarily that I said, hey can you be my mentor, but seeing this woman, who not only has a legacy to continue. Her father is Vince McMahon. Her husband, her brother, everyone surrounding her, blood-related, being in the business and she had to make a name for herself, whether it was being a chief brand officer, or inside the ring as a talent, that’s extremely hard to do and stay true to yourself. On top of that, she is a mother. If you ever see her with her three little girls, there is nothing more she loves than her three little girls. So she is living proof you can be a mother, a wife and run a global company.
Stephanie was asked about #givedivasachance: “When Charlotte and Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks and Bayley were all performing in NXT, it gave rise to women’s wrestling in our business. Our audience started chanting, this is wrestling and women’s wrestling but we didn’t see that translate to the main roster yet. At that time, NXT was more developmental before it evolved into our third brand. We had a match that was all of 30 seconds. It was a women’s tag match, four women with four entrances that lasted all of 30 seconds and unfortunately, that was the norm and our fans had enough. They started this hashtag, give divas a chance that trended worldwide for over 3 days, specifically calling for better character development, more athleticism, longer matches, better storylines. We wanted to respond in the biggest way possible, so my father, the chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon responded, we hear you, keep watching. Then, at WrestleMania, we had a WWE Hall of Famer, Lita, go out and announce the rebranding of the Diva’s division to the Women’s division. She unveiled a new championship belt that was more akin to the men’s but still very feminine and announced that our women would now be called Superstars, same as the men.”
Charlotte talking about the Diva’s and Women’s championship: “First of all, I want to say, it was an honor to hold the Divas championship because as a woman who grew up in sports, who wasn’t a model or known for her looks and I was just known for my talent, to know that I could be athletic and confident and this larger than life character known for her athletic ability and not her looks and could call myself a Diva, yea I’m the Diva’s champion. So, to retire that title meant so much to me. But then to represent the company and win the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 32 was special. This is a new era of women’s wrestling. This will go down in history as we are no longer eye candy. There is Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks, the future of this company. I can hold that title because of my athleticism. Not because of my last name. Not because I was a model somewhere for Diva Search but because of what I brought to the table as an athlete and that was my message.”
Check out the interview below.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Top of HER Game with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription
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