Charlotte Flair’s bid to become Queen of the Ring came to an end on the June 19 edition of WWE SmackDown after a brutal assault left her entering her semifinal match at less than 100 percent.
Ahead of her showdown with Liv Morgan, Flair spoke with Cathy Kelley backstage and reflected on her championship ambitions. The multi time women’s champion noted that she has not held a singles title in several years and made it clear that winning the Queen of the Ring tournament was the first step toward capturing a 15th world championship at SummerSlam.
However, her plans were thrown into jeopardy before she even reached the ring.
While heading to her match, Flair crossed paths with Jade Cargill, who was accompanied by B-Fab and Michin. During the exchange, Cargill discussed her upcoming Women’s United States Championship opportunity against Tiffany Stratton and vowed to leave with the title. Flair dismissed the situation, stating that her attention was solely on winning Queen of the Ring.
Moments later, the confrontation escalated.
After Flair walked away, Cargill, B-Fab, and Michin attacked her from behind. The trio focused their assault on Flair’s previously repaired knee, with Cargill repeatedly stomping on the vulnerable leg and leaving The Queen in visible pain.
Following the attack, WWE officials quickly rushed to check on Flair. Nick Aldis and Alexa Bliss questioned whether she was fit to compete, but Flair insisted on continuing despite the damage.
Liv Morgan took full advantage once the bell rang.
From the opening moments, Morgan zeroed in on Flair’s injured knee, repeatedly targeting the leg with chop blocks and driving it into the ring apron and steel steps. Every opportunity Morgan had, she continued to wear down the already compromised joint.
Despite the punishment, Flair refused to stay down. She mounted several comebacks throughout the contest, connecting with a diving crossbody, a superkick, and a spider suplex. She also came close to securing victory after hitting a diving Natural Selection.
One of the biggest moments of the match came when Flair trapped Morgan in the Figure Eight, appearing just moments away from earning her place in the tournament final.
Morgan survived and immediately returned to attacking the injured leg.
As the match progressed, Flair’s condition worsened. She struggled to climb the turnbuckles and repeatedly collapsed while attempting to execute her offense. Medical personnel once again checked on her at ringside, joined by Alexa Bliss and Aldis, but Flair remained determined to continue.
Morgan eventually connected with Oblivion, but even that was not enough to keep Flair down.
The end finally came when Morgan locked in a half crab submission. With her knee severely weakened and no escape available, Flair was forced to tap out.
The victory sends Morgan to the Queen of the Ring final, where she will face IYO SKY for the tournament crown.
As of now, WWE has not confirmed whether Flair’s knee issues were part of the storyline or if she suffered a legitimate injury during the segment.