This isn’t a one fight WrestleMania gimmick. Ronda Rousey plans to wrestle full time for the foreseeable future.
What you going to do when RouseyMania runs wild on you?
That question is set to be answered over the next several weeks and possibly several years to come. Ronda Rousey made her big debut after the Royal Rumble (watch it here), and now official news articles are confirming she’s signed on to participate seriously in the WWE for the foreseeable future.
Everyone knew Rousey’s return to the WWE was coming at some point, but when exactly and in what form was the big question. Another WrestleMania appearance like the one she did with The Rock in 2014 was most people’s best bets. But it sounds like Rousey is going all in on this pro wrestling thing.
ESPN’s article on Rousey’s signing with the WWE refers to her in the headline as a ‘full time wrestler.’ The accompanying article has this quote, which certainly sounds serious:
“This is my life now. First priority on my timeline for the next several years. This is not a smash-and-grab; this is not a publicity stunt,” Rousey told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne of her decision to join WWE. “When I first met with Triple H, I told him, ‘There are other things I can do with my time that’ll make way more money, but I won’t enjoy nearly as much.’”
Ronda Rousey isn’t exactly known for half measures and sat near the top of the obsessive UFC athlete list alongside the straight up OCD Georges St-Pierre. That drive took her to a bronze medal in Olympic judo and to the Strikeforce and UFC women’s bantamweight championship, which she held from 2012 to 2015, defending seven times. Who knows what she could accomplish in pro wrestling now that she’s pointing her full drive towards it?
But there’s a lot of intangibles in pro wrestling that athleticism and determination can’t overcome. While the crowd popped big for Rousey at the Royal Rumble, it will be interesting to see how they react to her on a week by week basis if she truly is competing alongside the roster outside of major pay-per-view events.
There’s also the fact that Rousey didn’t say a word during her Royal Rumble appearance, a sign that she’s still not mic ready as far as the WWE is concerned. But then again, Brock Lesnar was a slobbering mute for the first few years of his WWE career, so there’s always ways the promotion could make this work.