On December 30th, 2022, Charlotte Flair made a shock return to action having been out of the ring since May.
Within five minutes Flair had made her presence felt and was leaving with the SmackDown Women’s Title having defeated Ronda Rousey.
Meanwhile, Rhea Ripley was busy making her own presence felt by going on to win the women’s Royal Rumble match, before choosing to face The Queen at WrestleMania 39.
The rivalry kicked into gear in recent weeks with the pair getting into a brawl on the March 17th episode of SmackDown. Fast-forward seven days and Flair was back with a microphone in hand ready to respond to Ripey’s promo days earlier on Raw.
The champion admitted that she has insecurities and respects Ripley rather than fears her. There were also quick mentions of the likes of The Bellas, Mercedes Mone, and Becky Lynch among others. Flair went on to discuss the issue of nepotism given that she’s the daughter of 16-time World Champion Ric Flair.
In response to the promo, Dutch Mantell said that it was clear nepotism had got her “through the door.” Speaking on Sportskeeda’s Smack Talk, the veteran was also quick to point out that it exists all over the company.
“I was thinking about Charlotte Flair’s interview. The three things she mentioned, nepotism, and I’m thinking, well, nepotism did get you through the door, girl. You are my old buddy, Ric Flair’s daughter. Then I’m thinking of Cody Rhodes. Dusty Rhodes got him through the door and look at The Usos. The two Samoans got them through the door. And there was one more I was thinking of…
Well, Roman Reigns is a Samoan too. And there’s got to be one more in there because I had one more. So, don’t say it’s not nepotism, because nepotism is all the way down through the card.”
It should be noted that Mantell and Ric Flair have been at odds on social media for a number of weeks.
Lita Claims Charlotte Flair Landed Her Spot Due To Her “Lineage”
Mantell’s comments come just days after WWE legend Lita also questioned how easily Flair had climbed to her current position. Lita said that she will be cheering for Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania, noting that she had created her own spot, while Flair was helped by her “lineage.”
H/t to Sportskeeda