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CHARLOTTE FLAIR COMES comes from pro wrestling royalty. Her father Ric Flair looms large as one of the most notable figures of the glory days of wrestling—and that legacy is a responsibility she takes to heart.
“The pressure of being my dad’s kid and always wanting to be at the top of my game, and even though I’ve had an incredible career—and some would say arguably one of the greatest female wrestlers—it’s still not enough to me. I’m like oh, I can get better, I can get stronger, I can get faster.”
In the latest episode of Strong Talk, MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. and exercise physiologist and strength coach Dr. Pat Davidson spoke with the 14-time women’s world champion about what’s going on right now in her WWE world, her journey of her early days in wrestling with her family, training in John Cena’s gym mastering Olympic lifts, and the work it took to bounce back from a serious knee injury. She also shares her number one tip for guys looking to get back to the gym.
One of the biggest challenges Flair has faced on her decade-long wrestling career came in December 2023. Flair hurt her knee during a WWE SmackDown match against Asuka, and the injury took her out of commission for nearly a year as she underwent rehabilitation.
Flair did a number of strengthening exercises during her rehabilitation from terminal knee extension with a resistance band to lots of blood flow restriction training. One aspect of recovery she didn’t expect was the emphasis on ankle mobility. These included exercises such as box jumps and one-legged hops to help with balance in the ankle. “You need that ankle stability for strong knees,” she says.
She recalls her rehabilitation was going great until the seven-month mark. Her quad began to hurt as she stepped up the stairs and she feared her knee was going to give out again. Instead of adjusting her training, she stopped active movement for five weeks. She recalls it being the absolute worst idea, having to take an extra month to get back on track. “It’s better to move than to not move.”
The biggest tip Flair has for guys who get injured is to stay determined. “You can come back as strong or as weak as the effort that you put in… the ones unsure are the ones who didn’t put in the time,” she adds. “You can apply that to anything, any scenario.”
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