After an illustrious run inside the octagon was met with an appalling end, Ronda Rousey contemplated “wrapping it up” and moving on to greener pastures.
Shunning media and receding into a shell, the toughest female competitor in the Ultimate Fighting Championship gave a tacit acceptance of defeat, expressing the desire to move on and hopefully never turn back.
Reports of her signing a contract with the WWE emerged shortly after her loss to Amanda Nunes and it might actually happen in the near future, given her cameo-runs with the business.
But the WWE might not be the best place for “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey anymore. Here are 5 reasons why:
#5 The WWE doesn’t need another part-timer
Fans of this superior artform (i.e. professional wrestling) are sick of seeing the World Wrestling Entertainment summon the help of part-timers to succour the business from falling into unfathomable depths.
The void left by the egress of the main-eventers has forced the WWE to haplessly send out “SOS” signals to people who fall on the frayed ends of the professional wrestling business.
Hollywood biggies Gillberg (haha), Shaquille O’Neil, Jon Heder and numerous others have at some point in time, made their presence felt in WWE shows.
Also read: 8 WWE opponents for Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey, courtesy her fall from UFC-grace, has already shown an inclination to work with the World Wrestling Entertainment, the seeds of which were sown during her appearances at both WrestleMania and Monday Night Raw.
If Ronda decides to put pen to paper, she would most likely be a part-time performer like the crossover-brigade that has preceded her.
A couple of high-octane matches would set the perfect course for the business, but it would soon fizzle once the rigmarole becomes too monotonous for the fans of the World Wrestling Entertainment.
Moral of the story: Ronda would just be another Dwayne Johnson/Brock Lesnar and “you can’t teach that” (to the WWE fans who are smart enough)!
#4 Problem for the creatives
Barring the last two bouts that she fought, Ronda had a top-notch record, polarising her as one of the toughest fighters to grace the sport of mixed martial arts.
Trained in judo and wrestling, Rousey has a repertoire that makes her a legit grappler, something that would be hard to intertwine with the chair shots, lower-blows and other netherworldly antics of the World Wrestling Entertainment.
Remember how Kurt Angle was booed during his debut when he squared off against Shawn Stasiak (from Planet Stasiak)? Kurt’s Greco-Roman style of wrestling wasn’t well received by the WWE Universe, forcing him to change direction and adhere to what was tried and tested.
It would be quite an arduous task for the World Wrestling Entertainment creatives to involve Rousey in storylines where she’s beaten. Moreover, would Ronda Rousey and her badass ego be willing to adapt to the pro wrestling industry?
There are quite a few causes of concern that need to be ironed out before there’s an agreement between Rousey and the show business.
Ideally, Ronda could be sold as a dominant force and her run can be similar to Brock Lesnar’s, but that would eventually go stale if there’s no one to compete against her.
#3 Attitude wars
Vince McMahon is a hard-to-please personality. The progenitor of this multi-billion dollar business has often gotten into tussles with people who’ve rubbed him the wrong way; Hulk Hogan, CM Punk, Jesse Venture and Bret Hart, to name a few, are some of the examples of this.
Knowing how insolent Ronda Rousey is, there is bound to be some friction between her and the management at some given point in time. Ronda Rousey is someone who does as she pleases and Vince’s relationship with such go-getters is somewhat tempestuous.
Keeping this in mind, the World Wrestling Entertainment shouldn’t cajole Rowdy Ronda into signing a deal with them. The current roster does have top-draw fighters like Charlotte and Sasha Banks, but would Ronda be willing to put them over? I believe not.
Vince might probably book another screw job if worse comes to worst!
#2 Her fans are turning on her
Ronda Rousey is just a shadow of her former self. The ‘baddest woman on the planet’ has had little to reminisce and rejoice about in the last one and a half years.
After her horrific loss to Holly Holm in November 2015, Rousey fled the scene and sought solace in her own cocoon, refusing to speak to the media or address her fans. Her loyal legion of fans didn’t quite like this sudden change in behaviour.
Rousey was branded as a ‘coward’ by not only the media but also by the fans who swarmed to the arena every single time she fought in the cage. Even pictures on her Instagram account were met with a lot of crass reactions.
Her return match against Nunes turned out to be another disaster, prompting further speculations of her switching loyalties and moving towards the WWE. That would invite more hatred and she’d be branded a bigger coward for clinging on to the WWE which is “fake fighting”.
The World Wrestling Entertainment, on the other hand, shouldn’t open the doors for Rousey because of her falling status as a ‘crowd puller’. She might find a safe haven for herself, but her loyalists won’t be there to have her back (and WWE needs more fan-base to be profitable)
#1 Keeping up with the hectic schedule
Being a professional wrestler is tough and unlike what most people think, it’s far from being a joke. From live shows to TV tapings, house shows to pay-per-views, the life of a wrestler is akin to the life of gypsy, drifting from place to place, putting up shows.
But does Ronda Rousey have the acumen to make it big as a professional wrestler? We know her capabilities as a fighter, but can Ronda Rousey dedicate 300 days a year to being on the road, battling all the wear-and-tear yet still putting up a convincing show at every venue?
As far as I see it, the WWE might not be a good option for the whimsical Ronda Rousey.
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