WWE News: Ronda Rousey to voice character in blockbuster new video game

What's the story?

Ever since WWE Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey left UFC and began her transition to WWE, she really began to embrace the "entertainment" part of "sports entertainment." She's been featured in movies and television as well as performed on wrestling's biggest stage, WrestleMania. Now, it's been announced that she's voicing a major character in one of the biggest video game releases of 2019, Mortal Kombat 11.

In case you didn't know...

In 2014, in the midst of her historic run as UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, Rousey made her first film appearance in The Expendables 3, alongside Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Harrison Ford and... pretty much every other actor in Hollywood, it seems. She would go on to would reunite with Statham in Furious 7. On TV, she would host Saturday Night Live and appear on an episode NBC's Blindspot.

In video games, her appearances have been in sports games essentially "playing" herself. She appeared in EA's 3 UFC games, as well as being a pre-order bonus in WWE 2K19, along with Rey Mysterio.

The heart of the matter

During today's big reveal event in Los Angeles, for Mortal Kombat 11, series producer and co-creator Ed Boon announced that not only would classic MK character Sonya Blade be returning, but she would be voiced by "a real-life badass". The Raw Women's Champ herself was then featured in a small video package showcasing her thoughts and history with the franchise as well as her experience working on the game.

(Warning: The following trailer is pretty violent, even for a video game)

While Sonya uses a number of fighting moves in the game that Rousey has used in her martial arts career - such as, as she mentioned during the live event, a rolling armbar - Rousey only provided the voice for the character and did not do any actual motion capture.

It's also interesting to note that WWE Superstars Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Zelina Vega were all interviewed on the event's pre-show, all dressed as characters in the game.

What's next?

This marks Rousey's first appearance in a game as a character other than herself and, as of this posting, doesn't have any other game projects lined up. It's also surprising to see an employee of a company that prides itself on a family-friendly reputation appearing in a decidedly not-family-friendly game.

As far as the game itself goes, it's currently scheduled for release on April 23rd. For more details on that, keep an eye on Sportskeeda's eSports section!