Speaking with Graham GSM Matthews of Bleacher Report, WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair opened up on the critics of her returning to WWE TV as a babyface after being portrayed as a heel for so many years.

Before she turned babyface, Flair thought people actually didn’t like her. She said,

“Having that mindset for so long where you think people actually don’t like you, you start to believe it, kind of. Whereas toward the end of my last run, where people just didn’t know whether to cheer or boo because they respected me to a certain degree. Now I’ve just committed to playing that role as the good guy no matter what without getting in my own head, it’s been really rewarding.”

Flair also noted that she wonders why fans struggle to disconnect her character from who she is. She said,

“It’s affected me my whole career, I think. I’m like, why am I the one character no one can disconnect from and see that there’s a person there? Like I’m in charge of my storylines? My biological father is Ric Flair, so I think that’s hard for them to push aside as well and a lot of assumption, being the bad guy for so many years.”

“I try really hard not to read online because maybe I’ll open my Twitter and I’m like, ‘I’m putting that down,” Flair said. “They’re saying I’m doing a bad job being a good guy. Then I go to these [house] shows or even SmackDown and I’m like, ‘Hey, are you guys hearing what I’m hearing?’ I wish I hadn’t let it affect me so much through the years.

“I don’t think I’ve had an opportunity on screen to really let this phase of my career being the good guy let all of the pieces fall into place. “I know people will say, ‘She doesn’t feel natural,’ No, that’s just me being me out there. Right now, I’m just me for the most part. Amped up, obviously, but Charlotte Flair is not good or bad. She’s just entertaining.”

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