5 things Charlotte Flair has revealed about her WWE career that you may not know

Despite being one of the current top WWE Superstars, there might be a few things that fans do not know about Charlotte Flair's career.

Flair joined WWE nearly a decade ago, spending three years in NXT before moving to the main roster in 2015. Throughout the past few years, the daughter of the legendary Ric Flair has proven herself to be one of the best female competitors ever step inside the squared circle. She is now a 12-time Women's Champion.

Although her career is well known to the WWE Universe, there are a few things that fans might not know about Flair's journey in Vince McMahon's company. In her book Second Nature: The Legacy of Ric Flair and the Rise of Charlotte, Flair disclosed a few lesser-known things about her career to the WWE Universe.

Here are five things Charlotte Flair has revealed about her WWE career that you may not know.

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#5. Charlotte Flair was the only one in her class who joined WWE without having a tryout

Before joining WWE, Charlotte Flair had no intention of pursuing a pro wrestling career. Nonetheless, a dinner with WWE Executive John Laurinaitis changed her life.

Laurinaitis was going to dinner with Flair's father and brother Reid when the SmackDown Women's Champion tagged along. At dinner, Laurinaitis was supposed to discuss with the Flairs the possibility of Reid getting a WWE tryout. However, surprisingly, he offered The Queen a WWE developmental contract. A few days later, she reported to WWE's developmental brand at the time, FCW.

As she revealed in her book, Flair was the only one among her colleagues who had signed a contract without having a tryout. That added extra pressure on The Queen to prove that she belonged in WWE.

"I had a high mountain to climb. I had to prove that I belonged. I had to earn people’s respect. Three things made that more challenging: I was Ric Flair’s daughter; I was the only person there who did not have a tryout; and I didn’t have any wrestling experience," she wrote.

Charlotte Flair has proven herself to be one of the best female competitors WWE has ever hired despite the lack of tryout. She is currently leading the SmackDown women's division.

#4. Charlotte Flair worked as a ring announcer in FCW

Before becoming one of the best in-ring performers in WWE, Charlotte Flair had another job in FCW. In her early days in WWE, The Queen worked as a ring announcer at FCW events.

In her book Second Nature: The Legacy of Ric Flair and the Rise of Charlotte, Flair revealed a few details about her time as a ring announcer.

"When I was told I was going to be a ring announcer, I thought someone was playing a joke on me. I thought, Well, this is one way to deal with stage fright. I was terrified when I was told I’d start out in front of the camera, in front of an audience, and stand in the middle of the ring as the ring announcer for FCW. The crowds usually totaled thirty to fifty people. They were very loyal fans, and they knew I was Ric Flair’s daughter. Usually at least once a show I’d hear 'WOOOOO!' from the crowd. I was so nervous. I got compliments on my ring announcing, but I thought I was terrible. It’s tougher than it looks," Charlotte Flair wrote.

Flair's run as an FCW ring announcer did not last long. In November 2012, she had her first-ever one-on-one match against Emma at NXT Tampa Show, in which she suffered a defeat.

#3. Dusty Rhodes' advice saved Charlotte Flair's career

In March 2013, Charlotte Flair's brother Reid tragically passed away. Reid was one of those who convinced the current SmackDown Women's Champion to pursue a WWE career. He dreamed of becoming a WWE Superstar himself and wanted to do it alongside his sister.

Seeing that she was heart-wrenched after her brother's death, WWE and Triple H offered Flair all the support she needed in that difficult time.

"When Reid died, WWE was there for me in every way. Hunter was there for me every step of the way too. I could take off as long as I wanted; I could go to WrestleMania as a spectator or I could go to perform; paid grief counseling was available. I had never experienced the kind of support system that Hunter and WWE provided for me. I’ll always remember that," she wrote in her book.

At the time, Charlotte Flair was hesitant about continuing in pro wrestling. She had yet to appear on WWE television and was not certain she made the right decision by joining WWE.

WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes and then-NXT coach Dusty Rhodes gave her advice that changed her life and career. The American Dream told Flair that WWE needed her and urged The Queen to go back to work for her brother and herself.

"Dusty told me something that was very important: I needed to put my big girl pants on and put them on really tight. I was needed here. I needed to get back to work—for me and for my brother (...) Dusty was right. I needed to reinvigorate my spirit to live my brother’s dream," Charlotte Flair added.

From that moment forward, Charlotte Flair decided that she was going to make it in the wrestling industry. In an interview with In This Corner podcast, The SmackDown Women's Champion said that wrestling saved her life because she could have reached rock bottom after her brother passed away.

#2. Charlotte Flair was disappointed with where she was in the WWE developmental program

In late 2013, current WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair suffered an injury and had to stay out of action for a few months. She returned to the WWE Performance Center in January 2014 and won the Trainee of the Month award right away.

Although she was a regular competitor on NXT before her injury, Flair was not a prominent member of the NXT Women’s Division. Before stepping away from the ring due to injury, Flair joined the BFFs (Sasha Banks and Summer Rae). The group having some success on the brand.

In her book Second Nature: The Legacy of Ric Flair and the Rise of Charlotte, The Queen disclosed the unexpected reason behind the BFFs' success.

"Sasha and I became close friends away from the cameras. The BFFs worked very well because it was real. We were both disappointed with where we were in the developmental program. That frustration created a bond between us. We felt that if we didn’t do something, we’d be confined to being enhancement talent. We both wanted to be the best," Flair wrote.

Charlotte Flair stated in her book that Banks and herself acted out real emotions in front of the cameras. She also revealed that The Boss pushed her to continue learning and improving. Today, both WWE Superstars are Grand Slam Champions.

#1. Charlotte Flair struggled in promo class

When Charlotte Flair joined WWE, she had to attend a promo class. In that class, WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes worked with recruits solely on interviews. Nonetheless, The Queen was not very comfortable attending the class revealed that she felt intimidated by it.

"When I first arrived in FCW, the idea of having a class where you worked solely on interviews intimidated me. When your teacher is 'the American Dream' Dusty Rhodes, student expectations are even higher," Flair wrote in her book Second Nature: The Legacy of Ric Flair and the Rise of Charlotte.

The current SmackDown Women's Champion stated that it took her a long time to become comfortable speaking in front of people. However, the turning point came when she saw her colleagues mocking her before one of the promo classes. She then turned her frustration into a very emotional promo.

"I used that real emotion and opened up. I used that as an opportunity to explain who I was, where I came from, and why I was doing what I was doing," Flair explained.

Today, Charlotte Flair has gotten over her discomfort and become one of the best WWE Superstars on the mic. She cuts promos nearly every week on SmackDown.