Former champion discloses how Ronda Rousey's WWE debut came about
Former Cruiserweight Champion Brian Kendrick recently revealed that he trained Ronda Rousey before her WWE debut.
Ronda Rousey was one of the biggest draws in the UFC. She was a dominant champion who finished off her opponents in mere seconds. As her UFC career was drawing to a close, she was trying to make a transition to WWE and got the help of Kendrick.
Brian Kendrick recently appeared on the Hitting The Turnbuckle podcast, where he revealed how Roderick Strong and Marina Shafir helped him get in touch with the Baddest Woman on the Planet to help her train before her WWE debut.
“The Ronda training came about because of Roderick Strong’s wife, [she] and Ronda go way back,” he said. “Ronda was thinking about getting into pro wrestling, and Roddy said, ‘Well, Spanky lives out in LA,’ and so I got a text from Ronda Rousey. She reached out to me, and we started training then she had her agents started talking with the WWE, and that was that. Ronda Rousey came to me for training.” [H/T WrestlingHeadlines]
Ronda Rousey's rookie year, has been the best DEBUT YEAR for any wrestler ever.
From having no experience to headlining WrestleMania.
It's been an incredible ride
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Best of wishes to the baddest women on the planet, as she heal's from a broken hand.
#WWE https://t.co/3RjD3CubgU
Teddy Long doubts Ronda Rousey's interest in wrestling amidst her absence
Ronda Rousey has been booked strongly since her WWE signing in 2017. Despite this, Rousey hasn't hesitated to speak her mind against the company. She recently criticized the way the promotion booked her feud with Liv Morgan.
On an episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Time Machine, Teddy Long said that Rousey hasn't been in the business long enough to criticize the company. He also doubted if she has any interest in pro wrestling.
"I like her. I've met her, and she is a really nice person, but, to me, she just doesn't show that she has the interest in pro wrestling like a person that has been in the business like myself. You've got to show some type of dedication. Maybe this comment that she made, I don't really understand what it is, but when you're going to make statements like that, you've got to be around, you've got to be in this business for some time, you've got to know what you're talking about."
Ever since losing her SmackDown Women's Championship to Charlotte Flair in December last year, Rousey has been placed in a tag team with Shayna Baszler, and the two women have even teased going after the Women's Tag Team Titles.
What do you make of Rousey's WWE career? Sound off in the comment section below.