Ronda Rousey Makes Debut With WWE

Ronda Rousey made her first appearance as a WWE personality at the close of Sunday’s Royal Rumble 2018. Rousey made her surprise appearance at the conclusion of the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match. Rousey said in an interview that her position with WWE is the “first priority on my timeline for the next several years.”

Her appearance came after Japanese superstar Asuka claimed victory in the women’s match. WWE women’s champions Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair entered on either side of the ring, then Rousey’s name appeared on the screen as Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” boomed through the PA system. Her appearance was brief as she stepped into the ring, pointed to the WrestleMania sign, and shook Stephanie McMahon’s hand.

Reports recently emerged that Rousey had agreed to terms with WWE to perform as a full-time professional wrestler. Her career with WWE was long rumored. Rousey is longtime fan of professional wrestling and inherited her nickname from the legendary “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.

Rousey is a former UFC bantamweight champion. She won each of her three amateur MMA fights in less than a minute. She won five of her first six fights in the UFC in the first round, with four of those fights shorter than 1 minute, 7 seconds.

Over the course of four years, Rousey changed the world of MMA. UFC president Dana White once said that Rousey was the sole reason the UFC opened up female weight classes. There are now four women’s divisions in the UFC.

Rousey quickly became the most recognizable MMA fighter in the world. Rousey has also hosted “Saturday Night Live,” appeared in a variety of TV shows and movies, and was featured on the cover of many magazines around the world. She lost the last two fights of her career and retired from MMA at the age of 29.

Rousey is sure to be a big part of WrestleMania. Backgrounds in amateur wrestling and various martial arts have helped UFC stars to transition successfully from the real fighting in the world of MMA to the scripted fighting of the WWE. According to Figure Four Online, the current plan for Rousey’s first WWE match is a tag team match against Stephanie McMahon and Triple H at WrestleMania.

Rousey first appeared in the WWE at WrestleMania 31, held in March 2015. After The Rock pulled her from the crowd into the ring, she demonstrated a few moves before tossing both Triple H and Stephanie McMahon out of the ring to the floor. She also taped a promotional video for the Mae Young Classic, the WWE’s inaugural all-women’s tournament, with fellow MMA fighters Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke along with WWE superstars Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Bayley.