Charlotte Flair Cheats Her Way to a Win Over Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen two WWE Superstars display the loathing and hatred Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair have shown the WWE Universe every Friday on SmackDown. For the last nine weeks, Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair have brutalized and bloodied one another, and it almost felt like the Road to WrestleMania was a series of mini-matches and violent one-upmanship that would last forever. In retrospect, we had no idea the levels of disgust these two women had for each other when Ronda pointed to the WrestleMania sign at the Royal Rumble all those moons ago.
Tonight, it came to a head. Nearly four years after they first met at Survivor Series. After all the talk of one-trick ponies. Tapping out. The violence that would be inflicted. This was personal. And the talk was finally done. Ronda walked out. Charlotte walked out, and a buzz came over the 78,000 people at AT&T Stadium. The big fight feel was in the air.
Then, at WrestleMania 38, Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair put on one of the most brutal matches in WrestleMania history.
Immediately, both women started throwing fists and forearms like they couldn’t wait to get their hands on each other. The pace was utterly relentless and the offense was innovative. It didn’t take long for both ladies to spill out onto the hardest part of the ring. Then, as Ronda was going for an ankle lock, Charlotte was able to use her momentum and throw Ronda out onto the mats. Stiff.
But Ronda was contantly able to create offense out of nothing, keeping Flair literally on the ropes multiple times. To be fair: Charlotte was able to use her size, strength, and as Pat McAfee said, her “wrestling brain” to counter quite a few of Ronda’s counters. A brutal spear stopped all of Ronda’s momentum and then took countless chops that echoed throughout the arena.
An exploder got Ronda back on track, and now we see what Ronda has been working on with Shayna at Browsey Acres. Ronda’s offense 2.0 is certainly undeniable.
But you can’t deny Charlotte either. There’s a reasonshe’s a legend. Ronda once again locked-in an ankle lock, but Charlotte was able to reverse it into an ankle lock of her own. Ronda then reversed THAT, and Ronda damn-near caught her with a flying armbar only to get powerbombed as a desperation exit. Flair attemped a figure four, but Ronda was able to twist it into an ankle lock once again! Ronda was wresnching back. Flair was inches from the ropes, then realized she could just kick Ronda in the face and get out of the submission.
This was truly becoming judo vs pro wrestling, with Ronda and Charlotte reversing reversals and Ronda somehow escaping the Figure Eight then spilling out onto the floor. Charlotte looked like she had the advantage, but Ronda threw her from the apron, bouncing her like a piece of meat. Charlotte then threw Ronda into the wall, and both women are barely able to even make it into the ring. It’s like the last nine weeks have been boiled down and condensed into the last 30 minutes. No one looks like they have an advantage. The Natural Selection couldn’t get the pin. Piper’s Pit couldn’t get the pin. No one would tap!
Then, the worst possible outcome happened. Charlotte speared the referee. Ronda locked in an armbar. Charlotte TAPPED.
We repeat: Charlotte TAPPED.
Ronda tried to get the official back up, but ate a big Charlotte boot instead, and Ronda has officially lost her second WWE match. Is this the end of the feud? Of course not? Right?
Is it for now? Ugh.