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Ronda Rousey's WWE debut at the Royal Rumble certainly got a lot of people talking. It was a boon in publicity, but her standing there and pointing at the sign was nothing if not awkward. Once the buzz of the debut wore off, it actually felt genuinely cringeworthy. She looked more like someone who was happy to be there rather than someone who wanted to take the company by storm.
If that's a sign of things to come, trouble is on the horizon. If Ronda is in the company for the long haul (we still need to see exactly what "full time" means), there will be certain things conducive to her success. The wrong decisions will see fans turning on her fast. All the pieces are in place for Ronda to get the Roman Reigns treatment if she's mishandled.
#3 Ronda Rousey needs a mouthpiece
Ronda's segment at the Royal Rumble was awkward enough. Sometime soon, she'll have to do promos, and she's not the best talker in the world.
One of the reasons Roman Reigns became so hated was because his 2015 promos were garbage. No one forgets Jack and the Beanstalk and "sufferin' succotash." There is a real danger of WWE creative repeating that experience in its desire to push Ronda. If she gets the same kind of promos combined with her terrible acting, fans will turn on her fast.
This can be avoided by giving Ronda a manager. The immediate reflex would be to say "Paul Heyman". I'd prefer to see something new, but Paul Heyman would at least save Ronda from any cringeworthy promos.
#2 Ronda Rousey needs to be a heel
When she debuted at the Royal Rumble, Ronda Rousey looked more like Jason Jordan during the summer than a genuine threat to the entire women's division. Ronda Rousey doesn't fit the smiley babyface role. Putting her in that role would be a mistake.
Ronda Rousey is naturally unlikable. WWE should take advantage of this and make her the division's mega heel. Her story arc should mirror her UFC career - her arrogance and her disbelief at losing. It would be natural and organic rather than forced.
Pushing Ronda Rousey as the top babyface would feel disconnected. Having her go on a monster run through fan favorites while supposedly being the hero would make the disconnect feel that much worse.
But having her run through people as the heel she was during her UFC career? That would work much better.
#1 Ronda Rousey shouldn't be the female Brock Lesnar
Aside from the problems arising from his limited schedule, Brock Lesnar has represented a ceiling to the main event scene for the past year, and arguably the past few years before that. That ceiling will lift when Roman Reigns beats him at WrestleMania, but his push has been so astronomically strong that it's prevented the division from breaking new ground and creating new stars beyond the 'Big Dog'.
Ronda Rousey now threatens to do the same, smothering the women's division. But what's worse about this is that unlike Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey is far less believable in that role.
Sure, in 2015, she would be very believable. In 2018, though, she's coming off being exposed and humiliated in her last two UFC fights. When Holly Holm took Rousey to deep water and then kicked her to the curb at UFC 193, the mystique was broken. When Amanda Nunes TKO'd her in 50 seconds at UFC 207, the myth of "the baddest woman on the planet" ended beyond any hope of recovery.
In fewer words, Ronda Rousey wasn't only defeated in her last two fights, she was humiliated and destroyed. Her behavior following those losses didn't do much to recover her image.
Pushing her as a monster like Brock Lesnar, despite our knowledge of how poorly she performed in her last two fights and her inability to deal with defeat, will feel even more awkward.
Where Lesnar left the UFC due to health issues while still near the top of his division, Rousey ragequit the promotion after her embarrassment at the hands of Holm and Nunes.
Rousey isn't some invincible monster, we know that for a fact. Pushing her as one would be incongruent and make WWE's women look stupid.
Instead, she should be pushed as a top competitor, but one whose arrogance and inability to deal with setbacks is an Achilles heel. She has weaknesses in her game, most notably her mental fortitude. You don't want to grapple with her if it can be avoided, but you can get inside her head.
This dynamic would make her matches more unpredictable and mirror her real-life story arc. It would also prevent her from smothering the division and leave fans less likely to turn on her as a result.
Rousey is a huge name, but if mishandled, her entry into the company could be a disaster. All three of these steps would prevent that from happening.
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