Following a lengthy absence from WWE due to injury, Charlotte Flair returned to WWE this past Saturday and won the women's Royal Rumble match. However, the news has broken today that she's called it quits with her husband, fellow WWE Superstar Andrade.
According to TMZ, they've obtained court records confirming that the daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair filed to divorce Andrade last June. The divorce was finalised last October, though the gossip site was unable to find a reason for the split.
Flair and Andrade started dating in 2019 and got engaged the following year before tying the knot in 2022. Ric Flair even chose his former son-in-law as his partner in his final match and it's unclear what led to the breakdown of their marriage.
Of course, this isn't an in-ring storyline and their relationship has never factored into what we see on WWE programming each week. So, while this news is noteworthy, they both deserve privacy and will likely only comment on the split if and when they choose to.
"I think the hardest part is that I’ve always relied on my athleticism to carry me. I’ve been an athlete my entire life and have never been injured," Flair said shortly after her Royal Rumble win this weekend. "I know I hear you guys - 'Oh, she’s been hit or miss for two years.'"
"I’ve been on the road since 2012 and [I’ve] been a champion every single year for nine years. I took one year off. Give me a break. You will get tired of me because I’m coming for all of the gold!"
"For me, it was like - what if I can’t come back as the Charlotte that everyone expects? That was hard on me," she continued. "The rehab and getting back in the ring wasn’t the issue—it was second-guessing myself. And now, I’m scared to be injured because I’ve never been injured before. That was a hurdle I had to overcome because I was waiting for the other shoe to drop."
"The night I got hurt with Asuka, there were 8,000 soldiers in the audience. When I first dinged my knee, I thought, 'Well, I can’t stop the match. These people give their lives for me; I have to give them a show.' And then, I fell off the rope—on my neck."
"We came back from break, and I was like—what is going on? I cannot give up for these fans. And living with that for a year, wondering, 'Is it going to happen to me again?' - that was really hard," Flair admitted. "But hearing my music tonight and seeing the signs—I needed to get the first match under my belt. Here’s the thing—I’m going to work smarter, not harder."
We may find out who The Queen will choose as her WrestleMania opponent during RAW tonight, so keep checking back here for updates.