Charlotte Flair on Turning 40: “I Have Another Opportunity to Help Redefine Success for Long-Term Female Careers”

Charlotte Flair has drawn a direct and pointed contrast between how age is perceived for men and women in professional wrestling — and she is determined to use her 40s to rewrite that narrative. Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Flair placed her current moment alongside the four men headlining WrestleMania 42 in their 40s — CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Randy Orton — to make a case that women deserve the same longevity that their male counterparts have long taken for granted.

“Unfortunately, men seem to get better and women seem to get older,” Flair said. She then expanded on what this birthday means in the context of her career. “These years have gone by so fast. When I was younger, when I thought of 40, I thought of the Golden Girls. But now I have another opportunity to help bridge the gap and redefine what success means for long-term female careers in professional wrestling. I hope that I bridge that gap in a male-dominated world where before it was like everyone’s got to be 25, women are disposable. No, we’re not.”

Charlotte Flair Says She Is Now at the Best She Has Ever Been and Finally Understands the Psychology of the Moment

Rather than treating 40 as a milestone that signals the beginning of an end, Flair described it as the point where everything she has built over the past decade is finally clicking into place at the highest level. “The one thing about building my character Charlotte is I have fallen in love with the process. I feel like I’m at the best I’ve ever been. Like, oh, now I’m just getting good. Now I’m just understanding the audience. Now I’m just understanding the actual psychology of being in the moment and not letting nerves take over.” Flair teams with Alexa Bliss to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships in the Fatal Four-Way at WrestleMania 42 Night One on April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.