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When “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey debuted at the 2018 Royal Rumble, a lot of fans were skeptical of how she would perform in WWE. Rousey was arguably the biggest name in UFC history, and she brought a lot of new fans to the sport in the process; especially young women. She was a box-office attraction for the UFC, and helped with the rise of UFC into mainstream culture.
Rousey has been known to be a wrestling fan, and it was only a matter of time before she signed with WWE. She is a big “Rowdy” Roddy Piper fan, and even asked Piper for permission to use the “Rowdy” nickname in both UFC and WWE.
Rousey got a very big reaction when she debuted, and this continued in the lead-up to her debut match at WrestleMania. It’s fair to say that Rousey exceeded everyone’s expectations at WrestleMania, and she was arguably the star of the show. Most fans expected a train wreck of a match, but she looked like a natural in her first official WWE match. The fans were buying Rousey’s performance, as she teamed up with Kurt Angle to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon - and she didn’t look out of place at all. Rousey earned everyone’s respect that night, and the fans were left wanting more of her.
Rousey would compete for the Raw Women’s Championship at the Money in the Bank PPV in only her second WWE match. Rousey hasn’t lost her momentum since WrestleMania, and the fans have liked her character in confrontation segments on Raw. Fans are enjoying the realism behind her character, and she stands out among the women’s roster.
Even though she was unsuccessful in winning the Raw Women’s Championship at Money in the Bank, Rousey was very impressive in her first singles match in WWE, and won the crowd over with her intensity - along with performing far better in the ring than anyone had expected. Alexa Bliss would interfere in the match giving Rousey the win via disqualification, as she would cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase on then-champion Nia Jax to become Raw Women’s Champion. Rousey’s real chase for the title would now begin... chasing the cowardly heel champion, Alexa Bliss.
Rousey would end up putting Bliss through a table for her actions at Money in the Bank, the following night on Raw. Fans liked the segment because of the intensity shown by Rousey, and her character being displayed as rebellious by getting her hands on Raw General Manager, Kurt Angle as well. She would be suspended in storyline because of her actions, but the segment generated a lot of buzz from wrestling fans online about her performance as a legit badass. She would make her presence known at the Extreme Rules PPV, and the next night on Raw. Angle would announce that Rousey had earned an opportunity for the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam.
Rousey is one of the biggest mainstream stars on the roster and she is drawing a lot of buzz due to her success in UFC, along with her movie roles. Times have changed for female athletes to be recognized, and wrestling fans want Rousey to be a big draw on the roster. Her performances in the ring have been better than expected, and her character makes fans look forward to seeing Rousey on TV. If handled correctly, Rousey could become the next big star in WWE.
