"It made me really emotional" - Charlotte Flair thanks the WWE Universe for their reaction to her return on SmackDown

Charlotte Flair made her shocking return to WWE last Friday and pinned Ronda Rousey to become the new SmackDown Women's Champion.

On last week's episode of the blue brand, Rousey defeated Raquel Rodriguez via submission. The former NXT Women's Champion put on a good fight, but attacks by the champion and Baszler in recent weeks made her vulnerable, and she had no choice but to tap out to Ronda's armbar.

The Queen returned after the match and challenged The Baddest Woman on the Planet to an impromptu title bout. Flair booted Rousey in the face and rolled her up to win the match. The 36-year-old has been absent from television since losing the title to Ronda at WrestleMania Backlash in May 2022.

Flair was a guest on the latest edition of WWE's The Bump and complimented wrestling fans for giving her such a positive reaction.

"I was sincerely so touched by the fan reaction on Friday," said Charlotte Flair. "Like, I’ve done a lot of things in my career, but to see the smiles and the cheers and the reception that I received when I came back, I was just thinking to myself whenever I thought negatively or do I still have it? I always know I still have it, but it was just very rewarding after this journey that I have had for ten years. Being in the audience, which I’ve never done before, here I was holding the title in Tampa where my career started came full circle, and being back after eight months it really made me emotional." [H/T Wrestlingnews]

Charlotte Flair on her WWE legacy being cemented

Despite not being an active performer in WWE for the majority of 2022, Charlotte Flair still had an eventful year.

Flair married former WWE Superstar and current AEW star Andrade El Idolo in May 2022. Her championship victory this past Friday keeps her streak of holding a title in the company every year since 2014.

Speaking on the same episode of The Bump, Charlotte added that her legacy is now cemented and thanked the fans for appreciating her work:

"After being gone for eight months, the things that I worried about before I don’t worry about as much. Like, my legacy is cemented now, and I think moving forward, I’ve always been so serious. I’m serious about being the champion and the title progressing and never resting and coasting. I just let me know that everyone had appreciated what I’ve done leading up to being back after eight months. It meant a lot to me." [H/T: WrestlingNews]

Ronda Rousey's reign as WWE SmackDown Women's Champion ended in unceremonious fashion. Time will tell if she finds her way back into the title picture and challenges Flair at an upcoming premium live event.

Do you want to see the rivalry between Charlotte and Ronda continue in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.