WWE have issued a public apology for the main event angle of Monday Night Raw featuring Charlotte and Paige. The statement says that the angle was Charlotte’s idea, and that she insisted it was kept in the show. Ultimately, the company has taken responsibility because they aired it.
Here’s the statement:
“Subject matter this personal is only approved as a result of the strong advocacy of the talent themselves. Notwithstanding that, WWE is ultimately responsible for what airs in its programming.”
The angle involved Paige, who is challenging Charlotte for her WWE Divas Championship at Survivor Series, using derogatory remarks about Charlotte’s brother Reid Fliehr who died tragically from an overdose in 2013, and saying that he “didn’t have a lot of fight in him”. Charlotte had brought Reid up earlier in the angle, saying that she got into WWE because of him.
Charlotte and Reid’s mother Elizabeth had not been made aware that the angle was going to take place, and took to Twitter to share how upset she was. Their father, the 2-time Hall of Famer Ric Flair, said on his Woo Nation podcast that he was also unaware and was very upset watching it. He argues that Charlotte wouldn’t have the clout backstage to turn the angle down and would have to do it regardless of if she wanted to. His co-host Conrad believes and has said publically that Charlotte 100% did not come up with the angle.
For as sorry as WWE are, they will likely re-air the angle on their Smackdown broadcast.