Ronda Rousey’s crossover into professional wrestling is official.
The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion has signed with WWE and made a surprise appearance at tonight’s Royal Rumble in Philadelphia.
“This is my life now,” Rousey told ESPN.comof her decision to join WWE. “First priority on my timeline for the next several years. This is not a smash-and-grab; this is not a publicity stunt. 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.'”
Rousey, 30, had her last UFC fight on Dec. 30, 2016, when she lost in 48 seconds via TKO to current champion Amanda Nunes. It was the second consecutive stoppage loss of Rousey’s career after opening 12-0 to help put women’s MMA on the map. She joined the UFC in February 2013 and reeled off six consecutive title defenses as her popularity transcended into the mainstream.
Ever since the loss to Nunes, Rousey (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) remained quiet on her future, never officially announcing her retirement from MMA. UFC President Dana White has said repeatedly in the past 13 months that he didn’t believe Rousey would return to the octagon.
A career in pro wrestling has been rumored for months, given Rousey’s life-long fandom. Her nickname, “Rowdy,” is an homage to late WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
But even though there was speculation, nothing seemed certain until recently when it was widely reported that Rousey began meeting with WWE executives Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Stephanie McMahon. Rousey even showed up to WWE events to support friend and former MMA fighter Shayna Baszler, which only ramped up speculation.
Rousey tried to keep her Royal Rumble debut a secret this week, but many believed she was just doing her part to swerve fans. That turned out to be the case.
In her first appearance, Rousey came out after the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match. She had a face-off of sorts with winner Asuka, Smackdown women’s champion Charlotte Flair and Raw women’s champion Alexa Bliss. Seemingly declared her intention to be part of April’s Wrestlemania pay-per-view when she gestured toward the sign hanging at Wells Fargo Center.
Ronda Rousey signs with WWE, debuts at Royal Rumble to declare Wrestlemania intentions
The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion has signed with WWE and made a surprise appearance at tonight’s Royal Rumble in Philadelphia.
“This is my life now,” Rousey told ESPN.comof her decision to join WWE. “First priority on my timeline for the next several years. This is not a smash-and-grab; this is not a publicity stunt. 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.'”
Rousey, 30, had her last UFC fight on Dec. 30, 2016, when she lost in 48 seconds via TKO to current champion Amanda Nunes. It was the second consecutive stoppage loss of Rousey’s career after opening 12-0 to help put women’s MMA on the map. She joined the UFC in February 2013 and reeled off six consecutive title defenses as her popularity transcended into the mainstream.
Ever since the loss to Nunes, Rousey (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) remained quiet on her future, never officially announcing her retirement from MMA. UFC President Dana White has said repeatedly in the past 13 months that he didn’t believe Rousey would return to the octagon.
A career in pro wrestling has been rumored for months, given Rousey’s life-long fandom. Her nickname, “Rowdy,” is an homage to late WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
But even though there was speculation, nothing seemed certain until recently when it was widely reported that Rousey began meeting with WWE executives Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Stephanie McMahon. Rousey even showed up to WWE events to support friend and former MMA fighter Shayna Baszler, which only ramped up speculation.
Rousey tried to keep her Royal Rumble debut a secret this week, but many believed she was just doing her part to swerve fans. That turned out to be the case.
In her first appearance, Rousey came out after the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match. She had a face-off of sorts with winner Asuka, Smackdown women’s champion Charlotte Flair and Raw women’s champion Alexa Bliss. Seemingly declared her intention to be part of April’s Wrestlemania pay-per-view when she gestured toward the sign hanging at Wells Fargo Center.
Ronda Rousey signs with WWE, debuts at Royal Rumble to declare Wrestlemania intentions
