"A very big compliment" - WWE Hall of Famer compares Raquel Rodriguez to legendary female star
Former WWE Superstar Bully Ray shared his thoughts on Raquel Rodriguez accepting Ronda Rousey's 'open challenge' on SmackDown last week.
Rousey issued an open challenge for her SmackDown Women's Championship, which was responded to by Rodriguez. The former NXT Women's Champion left no stone unturned and had a commendable match against The Baddest Woman on the Planet. She used her height and strength to her advantage.
During a recent episode of the Busted Open podcast, WWE legend Bully Ray stated that his first impression of the 31-year-old superstar on NXT was that she would just be a bodyguard with a big build. He also stated that Rodriguez reminded him of Trish Stratus on how she wanted to improve herself in the ring.
"When I first saw Raquel Rodriguez in NXT I thought she was just going to be the bodyguard. Just stand there, look big, look bad, look mean look tough and have a limited skill set. As the weeks went on, I saw this woman improving every single week. And in a way she reminded me of Trish Stratus, a very big compliment to Raquel Rodriguez because Trish, always wanted to improve and improve so rapidly and I was seeing that in Raquel also. And by the time she left NXT she was having quality matches," Bully Ray said. [00:17 - 00:57]
"Both women got over Friday night."
@bullyray5150 and @RyanMcKinnell discuss the aftermath of the @RondaRousey and @RaquelWWE match on #Smackdown https://t.co/CvotJyzJhp
Raquel Rodriguez made her main roster debut on the April 29th edition of SmackDown, where she defeated local competitor Cat Cardoza.
After Raquel Rodriguez, Bully Ray is looking forward to Ronda Rousey's open challenge on SmackDown
The Baddest Woman on the Planet won her first SmackDown Women's Championship by defeating Charlotte Flair in an 'I Quit' match at WrestleMania Backlash. The following week on the blue brand, she issued an open challenge for her first title defense.
During the same interaction on the Busted Open podcast, the Hall of Famer stated that he looks forward to more open challenges from the women's champion.
"What I saw last night with Ronda I liked everything about that last night made me sit back and go, 'Good job, Ronda! I respect you for that.' When was the last time Ronda needed to be the ring general? Last night, I never I saw it from her. Hell man, if I can tune into SmackDown every Friday night and I'm guaranteed to see Ronda Rousey have an open challenge for her women's world championship. And they can do every single week exactly what they did last night where Ronda wins, Ronda wins, Ronda wins, but her opponent finds a way to take a step forward thats what this business is all about and as long as I'm entertained on the way that's the most important part." [00:58 - 1:43]
What a performance from @RaquelWWE! 👏
#SmackDown @RondaRousey https://t.co/kwuyukAvJQ
With Raquel Rodriquez making an impressive start to her main roster career, it remains to be seen what is in store for her in the months to come. It will also be interesting to see who steps up to Ronda Rousey's open challenge in the coming weeks.
What did you make of the Ronda Rousey vs. Raquel Rodriguez match? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.