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What's the story?
After her incredible showing at WrestleMania last night, the last thing anyone would have expected from Ronda Rousey was an apology. But, that's just what the former UFC star gave the WWE Universe, in her first interview after shocking the world in her WWE debut.
Rousey had one of the matches of the night when, she teamed with Kurt Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, and she went on to shock the world again with some surprising comments afterward about her UFC losses.
In case you didn’t know…
Ronda Rousey made a huge impact on both the WWE Universe and, the world of mainstream sports when she arrived at the Royal Rumble.
While the 'Most Dangerous Woman on the Planet' has made several appearances on WWE television since her contract signing at the Elimination Chamber, all eyes were on WrestleMania for Rousey's first match.
On a night full of surprises, Ronda Rousey delivered some incredibly impressive in-ring work, not least a wonderful rolling clothesline, and a twisting Samoan Drop, before almost snapping Stephanie McMahon's arm off with a wonderfully executed Armbar.
The heart of the matter
Ronda Rousey spoke to ESPN about her impressive debut at last night and, surprisingly, apologized to the WWE Universe.
I owe the WWE Universe an apology, because I thought they were going to boo me out of the building from day one. They really accepted me from day one. Hopefully, I satisfied a lot of skeptics tonight.
Rousey added that she felt like an outsider and that her UFC background may go against her, but insisted she's here for the long haul.
I underestimated how kind the WWE Universe would be. I thought any outsiders would be shunned. I was expecting to get shunned and to have to battle to be accepted. I worked my ass off to pay respect to what's so important to them, and hopefully they saw that tonight. I'm just so grateful, man. I'm trying my best to deserve it.
Rousey also, surprisingly, spoke about her losses in UFC, something many people thought was a taboo subject.
It was me versus the world in an individual sport. I thought I would never say this, but I'm so happy I lost those fights [to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes] because it led me here. This is so worth it.
The very humble and classy comments from Rousey, just show that she is here because she loves the business.
Everything really does happen for a reason. I'm just so grateful. I thought I never would be [grateful] for [the losses], but time is a great teacher. I'm just really, really glad I gave it time instead of giving up and feeling it was the end of the world. Every missed opportunity is a blessing in disguise. I really believe it now.
You can read the full interview by clicking here.
What's next?
Well, there's a lot of speculation about what happens next with Rousey, with many tipping the UFC star to headline WrestleMania 35 against Charlotte Flair.
Will we see Rousey on Raw tonight? We don't have to wait long to find out.
Author's take
Well, I love Ronda Rousey, but I didn't expect such a great showing last night. Rousey stole the show and has really come across as a classy, humble individual here, something that will definitely continue to make her a fan favorite in WWE.
