WWE News: Triple H tells us all about WWE signing Ronda Rousey, including their plans for her

What's the story?

Well, it finally happened. WWE got their woman.

Ronda Rousey made quite the impression when she rocked up at the Royal Rumble last night as news flooded the internet that the former UFC star had signed a full-time contract with WWE.

Well, Triple H has opened up about how, why and when everything clicked into place between Ronda and WWE - as well as when she might debut and how the roster reacted to her signing.

In case you didn’t know...

Well, unless you've been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, there probably isn't a great deal you don't know about Rousey's dramatic appearance in Philadelphia so I'll keep this quick.

Amid masses of speculation and tumbling bookmaker odds, EVERYONE thought Ronda was going to debut as entrant number 30 and win the first ever Women's Royal Rumble. Rousey had been pictured having dinner with Triple H just one week back and a deal seemed all but done.

Both WWE and Rousey worked incredibly hard to keep it all a secret though, and, at one point, it seemed like Rousey's debut as an official WWE Superstar would have to wait.

The ruse was that Ronda was in Colombia on a film set, with photos of her on set even being posted during the pay-per-view. When Trish Stratus came out at number 30 with no sign of Rousey, it seemed unlikely, but the former UFC Champion's music hit right as Rumble winner Asuka was about to choose her opponent for WrestleMania.

Rousey walked to the ring, had a staredown with much hinted at rival Charlotte (who she previously had a run-in with on the build-up to the Mae Young Classic), pointed at the WrestleMania sign, tried to congratulate 'The Empress of Tomorrow' to only have her hand slapped away, and then shook Stephanie McMahon's hand in what seemed like a potential throwback to WrestleMania 31 where she notoriously put Stephanie in an armbar.

The heart of the matter

Well, the WWE Universe and pretty much the whole of mainstream sports media have been clamouring for more details on Rousey signing with WWE since the moment the Rumble ended, and Triple H has delivered!

On being asked by USA Today how and when conversations began about bringing Rousey to WWE, Triple H said:

It’s one of those things that happened organically. She came and did the Ice Bucket Challenge with Steph (McMahon) when we were in LA, and even then she kind of floated it out how much she loved WWE.

Triple H added that Rousey's knowledge of wrestling was so deep and she waxed lyrical about her aspirations in the wrestling industry - but he didn't really take it seriously at first as he'd heard it all before. Triple H added that it morphed over time and, when Rousey appeared at WrestleMania 31, things started to take off, then 2017 saw things get serious.

We had not been in contact other than a little text here and there. She called to ask about coming to the Performance Center and be with a few of her friends for a Bachelorette party. We had a discussion about it. It really started to come up that this is something she was not just throwing out there, it was something that she really wanted to do. She was dead serious about it.

The world is abuzz with @RondaRousey’s appearance and future with @WWE. Everyone’s road is different, but trust me Ronda has ALWAYS been one of us!Congratulations Ronda and welcome to the family. @WrestleMania. #History pic.twitter.com/kevlOTYylM

— Triple H (@TripleH) January 29, 2018

Triple H adds that the Royal Rumble added no pressure in terms of getting a deal done for Rousey to appear, they just needed to find time to sit down and hammer out details of each other's schedules.

Ronda Rousey had specifically been training for WWE for four years and recently been sending Triple H footage of her training to prove how serious she was about wrestling.

Rousey points at the WrestleMania sign after making her presence known at the Royal Rumble

The King of Kings added that, while Ronda will bring new eyes to WWE, he's most excited that she's here to stay, adding that she's "all in" and that she understands the business.

To me, it’s (about) delivering for our fans that we already have, let alone showing those new ones. I’m telling you, she is going to win them over because she is just like them. She’s been a fan since she was a little kid. I think it was probably one of her first things that she loved, was WWE. She’s going to knock this out of the park.

Triple H said one of the hardest things about the deal was actually keeping it all secret. From getting Ronda Rousey on two flights and two buses unnoticed with only "a handful" of people knowing about Rousey appearing.

The one big question, will we see Ronda in WWE straight away? Sadly, that seems unlikely.

She’ll finish up this movie, and then she’s in. She’ll be at the Performance Center, she’ll be training and working with us every day. And we’ll see where it goes. It is not for lack of desire or motivation, if anything. The two times she has been at the Performance Center training, we’ve had to try to get her to back off because she will train all day and all night if we let her.

Rousey takes down Triple H at WrestleMania 31

Another big question asked was about how the roster has reacted. Triple H said he thinks they’re thrilled.

When Ronda came back, all she wanted to do was see those other girls in the Rumble and tell them how great it was.

She fits right in. Any time she’s ever been around us, it’s like this is where she should have been her whole life. She’s just like everybody else who is in our locker room. There’s no pretenses, there’s no ego, there’s no anything.

What’s next?

Well, who knows? It isn't known when we'll see Ronda Rousey next as she's currently in between WWE and shooting a movie. But we can expect the events of last night to be addressed on Raw tonight.

Author’s take

It's awesome to hear Triple H speak so highly of Ronda Rousey, and this could be one of the biggest things to ever happen in the world of wrestling and even crossover sports. I can't wait to see what happens next!