Charlotte Flair has announced her spot for the upcoming WWE Royal Rumble 2021 which is to take place on January 31. Flair won the 2020 women’s Royal Rumble when she eliminated Shayna Baszler.
During a backstage interview with Sarah Schreiber, the WWE Women’s Tag Team champion confirmed her participation while giving advice to this year’s competitors.
“Sarah, the advice I’d give to the women is, don’t listen to the critics,” Flair said. “Last year I wasn’t a favorite to win and you know what I did? I defied the odds and I won the Royal Rumble in 2020, and that’s why I’m doing to declare myself for the 2021 Royal Rumble, and defy the odds again.”
Nia Jax is the only other female wrestler confirmed for the event apart from Flair.
The 34-year-old returned to WWE last month having been away for nearly six months. In an interview to Ringside News, she revealed the reason behind her long absence. “It felt like hard times for the company—as talent, as individuals. But I was like, I need to go home. If I’m not going to do this now I’m never going to do it,” she said.
“When I left I felt so deflated, and it’s not because I wasn’t or didn’t feel creative, I just felt like I was at a standstill. I was working NXT, SmackDown, and Raw. I felt like I was doing the best work of my career, but I was not moving forward. I felt like, well am I letting the company down [because] I’m leaving? I’ve always been there. Regardless of how the fans view me as good or bad, so the last six months I just tried to think about when I do return, what does that look like and what do I want because I have done it all.”
The 2021 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view will air from The ThunderDome at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.