Charlotte Flair is one of the Four Horsewomen who revolutionized WWE’s women’s division. But over time, she lost her flair as injuries and underwhelming booking plagued her run. The Queen has been trying hard to find her breakthrough moment once again, and she recently found it with the help of John Cena.
The Never Seen 17 kicked off the November 13 edition of Friday Night SmackDown live from the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. As soon as Cena’s music hit, the crowd erupted in deafening cheers.
Cena addressed the crowd and invited Charlotte Flair to be the next invitee in the John Cena Classic. Flair made her way to the squared circle and began unloading a lot of stuff she had on her chest.
Charlotte said that she had been waiting to stand across from The GOAT, John Cena, in the ring for 10 years. Last year, Cena broke Ric Flair’s record and became the 17-time World Champion. Being Ric’s daughter, the pressure is now on Charlotte to surpass Cena and carry her father’s legacy.
“For 10 years, I’ve been trying to figure out how to get into a storyline, or get into this ring and be across from you. No, I mean that for 10 years, it’s been Ric Flair, John Cena, the record 16 times; now 17 times, Charlotte, are you gonna break it? I don’t know, but I have been trying to be a part of that magic. I don’t know how, but I’ve been dreaming about it. Manifesting it. I know I’m gonna be in the ring with John Cena because I think I’m not great, too.”
Charlotte Flair Thanks John Cena For Believing In Her
Charlotte then bared her heart, sharing something personal with the WWE Universe. The Queen said she had lost herself to depression a few years back, but some words of wisdom from The Never Seen 17 helped her pull back into reality. She thanked Cena for believing in her even when she didn’t believe in herself.
“Thank you for making me put on my big girl pants, for finding my passion again, for making me reinvent myself, for not just looking at me like I’m Ric Flair’s daughter. You weren’t doing it because it was a favor. You did it because you believed in me. When I din’t believe in me because i didn’t because I was lost.”
“You did it because you believe in me” 🙌
Powerful words from @MsCharlotteWWE about @JohnCena! https://t.co/XO6zqdpUFz
— WWE (@WWE) November 14, 2026
Charlotte declared that she’s going to win the John Cena Championship and surpass The GOAT of WWE to become the next Greatest Champion of all time.
“I’m going to be John Cena Classic. I am going to win the John Cena Championship. You wanna know why, John? Because I am the greatest champion of all time.”
Cena told Charlotte that if anyone can break his record, it’s her. Later in the show, Charlotte had a one-on-one match with Jacy Jayne, which she won. The match saw interference from multiple superstars, leading to the announcement of the women’s WarGames at Survivor Series.
