Charlotte Flair suffered an injury on WWE SmackDown back in December in her match with Asuka. She and Asuka were in the corner during commercial break and Flair, on the top rope, slipped and got caught in the ropes on her way down. After being fully evaluated by doctors, it was determined that she had a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus. With an injury of that magnitude, it would have kept the second-generation wrestler out for nearly all of 2024. Ahead of her surgery in January, she was spotted at a CMLL event in Mexico to support her husband and fellow wrestler Andrade El Idolo. She appeared in high spirits as she got around on her crutches.
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Though the expected recovery time is nine months, it appears Flair is hoping to get back into the ring sooner than later. Flair’s father, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, shared an update on her progress. “I was speaking with Dr. Dugan. He’s been there 30 years,” Flair said on Busted Open Radio. “He said Ashley is one of the top three athletes that they have ever done surgery on. Think about that. We’re talking Bo Jackson. We’re talking, I mean, I can go down the list of people. The Tommy John’s. He said we consider her one of the top three athletes, not wrestlers, to ever come through the doors.” (h/t: WrestlingNews.co)
After her surgery, Flair immediately took to social media to post updates on her recovery progress. A day after her surgery, Flair posted a video of her moving her knee for the first time. She has continued to keep fans informed, showing her range of motion and putting pressure on her knee. In her most recent post, she officially revealed that after two weeks post-op she is back in the gym. “Her recovery, she’s crushing it. She’s actually going to come back faster than they will ever recommend,” Flair continued. “That’s unbelievable. I thought that might be one of the biggest compliments anybody could ever get. I mean, it’s unfortunate that it had to come from a doctor in a hospital, but I keep telling people, man, she’s a different kind of cat.”
“THANK YOU for all the positive, beautiful messages & flowers. I feel supported in every way. It has taken me a few days and many MANY tears to wrap my head around everything,” Flair wrote on social media following her surgery. “I happen to be an expert in overthinking and this is the first time I’ve ever been truly scared. Scared of the unknown but also feeling like I’m losing what I’m most proud of and that’s being an athlete. I don’t like showing physical weakness and this has left me feeling exposed. A process I know I will grow from but a very new one to me. This was a huge blow to me mentally and obviously physically going into 2024. 2023 was a rollercoaster and I am trying to stay positive and maybe this was the only way to stop, refocus, rebuild & eventually conquer again.” You can read Flair’s full statement following her surgery below.
Comicbook continues to wish Flair well in her recovery.
