SmackDown star has 2015 Roman Reigns heat, ex-WWE talent says

Modified Apr 10, 2025 15:18 GMT

Roman Reigns divided WWE fans for several years [Image Credit: wwe.com] — Roman Reigns divided WWE fans for several years [Image Credit: WWE.com]

Roman Reigns became one of WWE's most polarizing superstars after winning the 2015 Royal Rumble match. Stevie Richards, a WWE talent from 1999 to 2008, believes SmackDown star Charlotte Flair is in a similar position to The Tribal Chief a decade ago.

In the mid-2010s, then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon began booking Roman Reigns as his next top babyface star. The former Shield member received help from his cousin The Rock during the 2015 Royal Rumble PLE. Although The Great One was a fan favorite at the time, the crowd still booed Reigns' triumph.

On The Stevie Richards Show, Richards said fans have turned on Flair like they did 10 years ago on Reigns:

"She has the amount of heat that Roman Reigns had at that Royal Rumble where him and Rock were standing in the ring, and they were shoving that dude down everybody's throat. There's gotta be a part of Charlotte inside her that can get over in the same way Roman Reigns did when you finally let him be himself." [From 04:12 to 04:33]

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On February 1, Flair won the 2025 Women's Royal Rumble after missing 14 months of in-ring action due to injury. Despite returning as a babyface, The Queen has shown a more villainous side to her character in recent weeks following negative crowd reactions.

Stevie Richards on WWE's booking of Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair

After her Royal Rumble win, Charlotte Flair selected WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton as her WrestleMania 41 opponent. The on-screen rivals allegedly went off-script during a promo segment on the April 4 episode of SmackDown amid reports of real-life animosity.

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According to Stevie Richards, the creative team should not have booked the two women in a storyline together:

"This feels too manufactured on both sides. Too manufactured. [The creative team thought] 'You know what would be cool? We can put them in there. They're too similar.'" [From 04:35 to 04:44]

Richards also explained why he thinks management has lost faith in Flair ahead of her April 19 showdown with Stratton.

Please credit The Stevie Richards Show and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart