After a lengthy stint in “NXT,” Charlotte Flair burst onto WWE’s main roster in 2015 and quickly won the Divas Championship after defeating Nikki Bella. Flair would ultimately be the final Divas Champion, as the title would be retired and she’d become the inaugural WWE Women’s Champion. In an interview with Katie Nolan, Flair looked back at her run with the Divas belt, claiming she felt empowered after winning it. 

“It was the first title that I held, and at that time – I’ve never been known for my looks…my strength was my athleticism…I’m an athlete that can hold a title that’s labeled a diva, and you can be both,” she said. “When I retired it, it wasn’t like we’re retiring this because it’s negative, we’re retiring it to debut a new title that the women hadn’t been given that opportunity to have and to rebrand, relabel, set a new standard.”

Flair further emphasized that the Divas Championship was not tossed away and still remains a part of the history of Women in WWE, and the new branding was never meant to come across as negative. 

“Today I want to be called a ‘Diva,’ cause it’s how you look at it and phrase it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being a Diva,” she explained.

The night Flair won the title, she wore a belt over her trunks and admitted that she was actually paying homage to Paige. 

“She was everything I wasn’t, so the belt is Paige-inspired – the gear, I’m not really sure,” she said.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Katie Nolan and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.