10 Fascinating WWE Backstage Facts About Charlotte Flair
4. The Performance Center's Greatest Graduate?
The WWE Performance Center was unveiled in 2013 as - amongst other things - Triple H's attempt to fix an entirely broken developmental system as previously overseen by the multifariously useless John Laurinaitis.
Over a decade in, it's hard to judge if it's been a success or not.
The hit rate is not particularly high when it comes to ground-up prospects, with the figures particularly skewed thanks to Triple H's recruitment policy during the 2016-2019 post-golden era of NXT. Chasing critical acclaim through a high workrate watermark, the best of the American independent scene was raided in an effort to make the market leader's developmental look more credible.
That philosophy shifted following NXT's decimation in the Wednesday Night Wars, and the present-day Next-In-Line system brings in people from athletic backgrounds to see if they can adapt to the rigours of the ring. This may as well be known as the Charlotte Flair model. A prodigious volleyball player at University level alongside time spent as a personal trainer, Flair had more than just the right DNA for pro wrestling. That she grasped it realistically set the standard too high for most others to follow, with only Bianca Belair and Braun Strowman realistically being able to go from amateurs to all-stars.