5 Possible reasons why some WWE fans rejected Charlotte Flair's Royal Rumble victory
After a few weeks of vignettes, Charlotte Flair returned to WWE by winning the 2025 Women's Royal Rumble Match. The Queen was out of action since December 2023 after suffering a knee injury.
Some fans will always root for particular stars or teams. A portion of fans - frontrunners - always root for the champions. No woman has won more titles in WWE than Flair.
The choices to win big matches will always polarize some portion of the fan base. With Flair winning another Royal Rumble and a title shot, a section of fans could have rejected her victory for the next five possible reasons.
#5. The strange nature of her return promo on RAW
It's understandable for Flair to be devastated by her injury since it was the first major one of her career. The strange part was that she claimed it "broke her" mentally. That would have been a great spot to explore some character growth.
She always portrays The Queen character, who is over-confident, brash, and unapologetic. Had they continued on that avenue in her return promo after winning the Royal Rumble, it may have garnered more sympathy.
That possibility was obliterated once she said that the fans didn't understand what it did to her. Whether or not that's true, telling anyone they don't understand something immediately turns some people off.
She tried to come off as a face but got mad when people booed her. Flair should have either come back as the same old arrogant Queen or tried harder to sell the emotional journey rather than getting into it with the fans.
#4. The excitement of winning the Rumble goes to someone who didn't need it
WWE stars can earn a major title shot at The Show of Shows by winning either the Royal Rumble or the Elimination Chamber. Winning the 30-person match is more exciting as it's been one of the company's 'Big Four' premium live events for decades.
With 30 participants, a lot more can happen than in a contest with six performers. Winning a Chamber match is seen as less noteworthy than winning a Royal Rumble by a section of the audience.
Someone like IYO SKY could have greatly improved her position by joining the list of Rumble winners. Instead, Flair got the honor of being the first two-time winner.
She could have earned her title shot by competing in and winning the Elimination Chamber Match for the first time in her career. Once she entered the battle royal and Becky Lynch did not, her win was heavily telegraphed.
#3. Immediately getting a title shot upon her return . . . again
It can be argued that WWE should have The Queen in a prominent match at WrestleMania 41. That's fine since she missed over a year of action with an injury.
The problem some fans may have with her win is that she didn't have to work through much (in the Royal Rumble Match) to get it.
When she loses a title, she often takes time off. When she returns, however, it's often immediately to challenge the current champion.
She did this at the end of 2022 when Ronda Rousey "beat" Sonya Deville and again after Asuka beat Bianca Belair in 2023. Coming back and winning the Royal Rumble was more of the same old.
#2. Entering the Royal Rumble toward the end and winning
One thing WWE has trouble with from year to year is building sympathy for the winners of the matches. Bayley and Rhea Ripley won from entering the Royal Rumble in the top three spots.
Both women set records for time spent in the match. The longer they remained in it, the more fans rooted for their victories. Even SKY, Roxanne Perez, and Liv Morgan would have been more sympathetic winners as much earlier entrants.
As is the case with WWE, they love to bring up "the numbers" around the match, like the 27th spot. Flair entered 27th and won the match, joining a handful of other winners who entered in that spot.
Entering well before the 20s and enduring more of the match rather than less than a quarter of it would have elicited more backing from fans. It's like entering the Chamber match last and expecting fans to heavily invest in that person winning as Belair did in 2022.
#1. They're tired of her always being in the title scene
Most of Charlotte Flair's WWE career is spent either as a champion or a challenger. She hasn't had many angles without titles, lessening the chance for character development and growth as a performer.
Seth Rollins, CM Punk, Alexa Bliss, Drew McIntyre, and many other stars have evolved their characters in non-title storylines. It adds layers to their performances rather than portraying the same persona year after year.
Flair's Queen persona is just an extension of being better than everyone/being the best. If she wasn't always thrust into title programs, like at WrestleMania 35, and worked outside championship pursuits, it would be easier to tolerate her actions.
