Charlotte Flair can kiss the women’s championship goodbye

The match

Charlotte Flair defends the SmackDown women’s championship against Ronda Rousey in an “I Quit” match at tonight’s (Sun., May 8, 2022) WrestleMania Backlash pay-per-view (PPV) in Providence, Rhode Island.

The story

Ronda Rousey forced Charlotte Flair to tap out last month at WrestleMania 38, but the referee was knocked out when it happened. Rousey tried to revive the ref, but that’s when Flair took advantage of the distraction and was able to pin Rousey to retain her gold.

Rousey demanded a rematch and wanted an “I Quit” stipulation added onto it. She got exactly what she wanted, and the title fight was made official for WrestleMania Backlash.

Flair has needed someone to beat up and humiliate since then, and interviewer / timekeeper Drew Gulak has repeatedly been her victim. Flair specifically blamed him for not ringing the bell fast enough during a recent Beat the Clock challenge where she fell short of Rousey’s time. But even Ronda locked Gulak in her armbar during the contract signing, so he’s gotten it from both sides here. Could Drew be a factor in the finish tonight?

If this is a straight up honest match in kayfabe, then of course Rousey is winning. The former UFC champion will never shout the words “I Quit” to lose a pro wrestling match. But one thing we know about pro wrestling is that straight up honest matches are often not the norm. Heels always have a trick or two planned to screw over the babyface. Do you remember when The Rock won an “I Quit” match over Mankind by using a recording of Mankind saying that phrase from an earlier promo? Who knows what Charlotte might be scheming to leave Backlash as champion. Keep in mind that Flair’s matches are notoriously hard to predict, just as we saw once again at WrestleMania 38.

That being said, Charlotte is still the clear underdog at WrestleMania Backlash. And the show is on Mother’s Day. What better way for Ronda to celebrate her first Mother’s Day as The Baddest Mom on the Planet than by submitting Flair and winning the SmackDown women’s championship? This has been one of the longer championship reigns of Flair’s career, but she should be prepared to kiss the title goodbye tonight.

Find out who wins by tuning into WrestleMania Backlash and keeping it right here at Cageside Seats!