Charlotte Flair Praises WWE Star Kiana James: ‘My Wrestling Daughter’

Published: Apr 14, 2026 by Connel Rumsey | Last Updated: Apr 15, 2026 by Connel Rumsey

Connel has over five years of wrestling journalism experience writing about some of the biggest stories from across the wrestling world. Being a fan for 20 years, Connel has an expansive knowledge from a wide range of various wrestling promotions, including WWE, AEW, NJPW, TNA and Joshi.

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Charlotte Flair Praises WWE Star Kiana James: ‘My Wrestling Daughter’

WWE’s Charlotte Flair has praised fellow SmackDown star Kiana James, branding her as her ‘wrestling daughter’.

Since her return to WWE after over a year away at the 2025 Royal Rumble match, Charlotte Flair has spent most of her time in a tag team with her ‘Ally of Convenience’ Alexa Bliss, with them having a reign as Women’s Tag Team Champions last year.

Charlotte has worked with a lot of new faces since her WWE return, including a match with Kiana James, with Kiana pinning her on SmackDown back in February to earn a spot in the Elimination Chamber match.

Charlotte Flair Praises Kiana James As Her Wrestling Daughter

Charlotte Flair recently took part in an interview with Sports Illustrated, where footage was shown of her training at the WWE Performance Center with Kiana James.

Charlotte responded to Sports Illustrated sharing the interview, where she made sure to shout out Kiana, calling her her ‘wrestling daughter’.

She wrote:

That’s @kianajames_wwe in the ring with me ❤️ my wrestling daughter

Kiana currently serves as the manager for Women’s United States Champion Giulia on the SmackDown brand.

Kiana James’ Potential In WWE

While there are a number of former WWE NXT stars that are touted for major success on the WWE main roster, such as Oba Femi, Je’von Evans, Roxanne Perez and Lash Legend, Kiana James is a name that flies under the radar.

Kiana never captured a singles title during her time in NXT, with her only title reign being an NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship reign with Fallon Henley in 2023, and has also yet to capture a title for herself on the main roster, though she has guided Giulia to two reigns as Women’s United States Champion.

Kiana had an impressive performance in this year’s Women’s Royal Rumble match, as well as being a part of the Elimination Chamber match, so it seems that WWE sees something in her potential, though the focus has shifted away from her in the weeks leading to WrestleMania.

With Kiana training with Charlotte Flair, she can continue to grow as an in-ring performer, which could lead to her having a break out year in 2026 once WrestleMania season has come and gone on the SmackDown brand, with tension between herself and Giulia already being teased on the show.