Fans who followed Charlotte Flair through her career know she’s had her ups and downs. But as it turns out one of the roughest times in her life might have occurred before she ever stepped into the ring as a competitor.
Charlotte Flair was married to her first husband Riki Johnson from 2010-2011. The couple was together before then and Flair even gave up a Division-1 volleyball scholarship at Appalachian State to be able to live with Johnson as he attended UNC-Chapel Hill.
A few excerpts from Charlotte and Ric Flair’s upcoming book, “Second Nature: The Legacy of Ric Flair and the Rise of Charlotte” were released in the latest issue of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. In one of the passages, Charlotte Flair painted a chilling picture of some of the awful times she had with Riki Johnson while living in Chapel Hill.
“Riki started swinging at me like we were in a street fight. Over his screams, I could hear his fists hit my arms. I managed to block most of the punches, but one shot got me in the ribs. I began to gasp for air, but he didn’t stop,” Charlotte said. In another portion, she said: “Riki punched me right in the head. …I think about that girl now, and it brings tears to my eyes. How did I get there? Why was this going on? Why wasn’t I strong enough, brave enough, to end this?”
In another section of the book, she detailed her ex-husband’s drug abuse and she also revealed he did drugs with her brother Reid which is the same brother who sadly passed away from a drug overdose in 2013.
Charlotte was thankfully strong enough to make it through that awful portion of her life and she eventually left Johnson. Through her strength, she will hopefully be able to inspire others who might be going through the same kind of horrible circumstances.
