Charlotte Flair, daughter of Ric, offers advice to aspiring WWE superstar Ava Raine, daughter of The Rock: 'I was so naive'
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- Charlotte Flair, the daughter of WWE icon Ric Flair, knows a lot about coming from a legacy lineage.
- Ava Raine, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's daughter, is beginning her own journey in pro wrestling.
- Flair talked Insider about dealing with generational pressure and playing the villain.
WWE superstar Charlotte Flair, 36, likes what she has seen so far from up-and-comer Ava Raine.
The 21-year-old, whose real name is Simone Johnson, made her WWE television debut last year, after appearing on the company's developmental product NXT.
Raine has generated headlines in the short time she has spent in pro wrestling's market-leading company, namely because she's the daughter of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson — one of the most charismatic champions WWE has ever seen.
As Flair is the daughter of another wildly popular wrestler, Ric Flair, Insider asked Charlotte ahead of her WrestleMania 39 match against Rhea Ripley whether she had any advice for Ava Raine, regarding generational pressure to perform.
"I hope she doesn't take all that pressure on because it's hard and it's exhausting — emotionally and mentally — and you can't make everyone happy," Charlotte said.
"I just hope she makes herself happy in this career."
Ava Raine is 'wonderful,' according to Charlotte Flair
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Flair called Raine "wonderful" and told us she liked what she saw during a promo the prospect filmed for NXT.
"She did great, looked confident, and was comfortable" on the mic, Flair told us.
Watch the first promo Johnson cut as Raine, in October 2022, right here:
Of all the superstars in WWE, there are few who seem better equipped to offer advice to Raine. After all, Charlotte knows all about performing in the company from a young age and going on to become a champion — all while being known, primarily, for being someone's daughter.
"I just wish I had had a better mind frame going into what it means to be a generational wrestler," Flair told us. "It's because I think I was so naive."
Flair told us she participated in numerous sports growing up, including volleyball, gymnastics, basketball, track, diving, cheerleading, and ballet.
"Of all the things I was a part of, I was never told I was good because of who my dad was," she said. However, that changed when she entered pro wrestling. "So I took that to heart for so long because I was wired that way."
Flair continued with the comparison between her journey and the one in front of Raine.
"So, for her starting so young, [and me] letting her know as someone who's been through this, she's got to just make herself happy," she said. "The Rock is probably the most known movie star in the world … so she's got to just make herself happy."
It's hard to say whether Ava Raine would be a face or a heel, according to Flair
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Flair has spoken previously on how she was perhaps always born to play the heel because of her family background and profile.
She's "Ric Flair's daughter, 5-foot-10, athletic, blonde, [and with] 14 titles," Charlotte told the Daytona Beach News-Journal earlier this year.
Could Raine, too, be a born heel because she's entering the WWE ring with legacy lineage?
"But The Rock is so loved!" Flair told us. "She'll be good at whatever" role she plays — a face or a heel, Flair finished.
Flair competes against her historic rival, Rhea Ripley, at WrestleMania 39 — dubbed WrestleMania Goes Hollywood — which is a two-day event taking place Saturday and Sunday at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on pay-per-view.