There's no debating that Ronda Rousey is one of the most accomplished women's sports athletes ever. She's the first female to win the Olympic gold medal in Judo and the last to hold Strikeforce's Women's Bantamweight Championship. Her UFC career transcends the careers of many female athletes who came before her.
After leaving UFC, she went to WWE and held her own against Alex Bliss, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch. Rousey accomplished everything she has set out to do, yet many argue that her ability to speak on the microphone is hurting her credibility.
Rousey's strength comes from her unfiltered opinions of her opponents. UFC 190 proved that she can quickly get her point across without the filter of a machine telling her what to say and how to say it. After her win against Bethe Correia, the post-match interview showcased Rousey's subtle intensity and cunningness. When asked about strategy against Correia, Rousey explained her plan to overwhelm Corriea with her striking so that she would be forced to go on the defense first. Then afterward, when asked about beating Corriea at her own game, Rousey said that "[she] hoped no one brings up my family when it comes to fights." The comment was based on remarks made by Correia when she referenced the tragic suicide of Rousey's father before the fight, saying, "I hope she does not kill herself later on."
Rousey never shouted. Rousey never stared blankly at the camera. Instead, she remained calm and neutral while using what occurred during the fight to justify her comments about not wanting to have anyone bring up her past tragedies. Rousey's post-match interview is an example of UFC athletes not performing for the camera. UFC athletes can speak from what motivates them and express their thoughts in realistic ways.
WWE doesn't allow such realism. Nowadays, cutting promos usually involves remembering lines and always being sure to face the hard camera. Long gone are the days when wrestlers could rely on their passion for the business and personality to get themselves over. A wrestler's personality nowadays can be chopped down by creative backstage decisions and not having enough time to express oneself before being interrupted by another wrestler. WWE wrestlers have no choice but to put on performance rather than speak from what motivates them.
This methodology really does hurt someone like Rousey. Take the feud against Becky Lynch. The night after Lynch won the 2019 Women's Royal Rumble match, Lynch appeared on Raw to confront the then Raw women's champion. While Lynch spoke with her natural confidence, Rousey seemed thrown off by the crowd's disapproval of her as champion. She referenced breaking Lynch's face "faster than she can say Nia Jax" and comparing her accomplishments to Lynch's. While she did make some interesting points regarding what she has done during her time in UFC, her promo lacked the cunning and restraint that she demonstrated during her UFC 190 post-match interview. She shouted over the loud boos of the crowd while Lynch looked undeterred by the champion standing before her.
Rousey impressed people in the ring, but her odd references and pauses when cutting promos became too much. Wrestling Observer's Brain Alvarez once mentioned that Rousey wrote her own promos, which resulted in the abnormal connections she'd make. However, not every promo of hers is considered terrible. While feuding with the Bella Twins, many praised Rousey for tearing apart the image that the Bellas have built for themselves.
But while Rousey has had some moments of brilliance on the mic, her promo exchanges with Charlotte Flair have left a lot to be desired. Both Rousey and Flair seemed to be going through the motions on SmackDown, and it doesn't help when you have charismatic talkers like Paul Heyman on the same brand. Both talents' lack of emotion and care has left many uninterested in their current feud over the SmackDown Women's Championship. After coming back from a nearly 3-year hiatus, Rousey clearly hasn't let go of the fact that the crowd turned on her during the later parts of her initial run with the company.
Perhaps the answer to this problem is paring Rousey with someone who can guide her through WWE's promo process. Heyman has been doing beautiful things with Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar in the past, so why not expand his clientele by adding another former UFC champion. After spending so many years with Heyman by his side, Lesnar developed a personality of his own during his most recent feud with Reigns. Rousey could benefit from someone like Heyman, who has years of experience speaking in front of fans and can tell an exciting story just with what words he uses.
Or maybe Rousey just needs to be the woman who lets her actions in the ring speak for themselves. Whatever the case, it's clear that the current Ronda Rousey needs to find a way to bring the crowd back on her side. While she did garner a massive pop when she returned at this year's Royal Rumble, perhaps that was only due to the shock of her return and not what it would mean for the landscape of the women's division. Rousey showed potential during her first year with the company, but it just seems like this new run will lack any of the excitement it had. If Rousey can figure out her weakness on the mic and improve on it sooner rather than later, it could be a step in the right direction.
What do you think of Rousey's current run with the company? Does Rousey still need to cut promos in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.
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