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Charlotte Flair's return to WWE didn't go according to plan, as she failed to dethrone Tiffany Stratton at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell questioned The Queen's future and claimed she feels lost on the blue brand.
For months, fans waited for The Queen's return to the Stamford-based promotion after she got seriously injured on SmackDown in December 2023. While Charlotte Flair made history upon her return to the company by winning the Royal Rumble, she couldn't defeat The Buff Barbie for the WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 41.
Speaking on Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the legendary former manager commented on The Queen's run upon return to the company. Moreover, he questioned why the management hadn't booked her as a stronger character, especially as she was an aging star and possibly didn't have too much time left in the ring.
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"I think she [Charlotte Flair] is just lost. I mean, when she came back, she didn't dominate when she went up against Tiffany Stratton. Their match wasn't that good, and they had that problem when they went out there and started shooting at each other. I mean, I'm lost with that," Mantell said. [From 1:26:00 to 1:26:28]
He added that WWE could have let the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer have a bit of a good run before she could put over a younger star as the curtains came down on her career.
"I think they should've kept her a little stronger, and then as they moved on, and I don't know how much longer she's got in the business. I mean, appearing as a regular, but I think they should've made her a little stronger and then have somebody take her down, take her off, and advance that talent like that, and then let Charlotte fade away," Mantell added. [From 1:26:30 to 1:27:00]
Check out his comments in the video below:
Charlotte Flair suffered another loss on WWE SmackDown
After losing to The Buff Barbie at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, The Queen was forced to start from the bottom on WWE SmackDown. Interestingly, she crossed paths with Alexa Bliss, who gave a subtle message while conversing with Lilly.
Later, The Queen was booked in a Triple Threat match to qualify for the upcoming Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match at the premium live event in California. Unfortunately, she suffered another loss, with Giulia pinning Zelina Vega to qualify.
While she didn't get pinned, she failed to win the match and lost her shot at picking up the MITB contract. It'll be interesting to see if she can earn another opportunity in the coming weeks.
If you use quotes from the article, please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and provide an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
