"She never really had that" - Former superstar on how Ronda Rousey found family in WWE (Exclusive)
Mickie James has spoken about how Ronda Rousey found a family in the WWE while applauding the star for her swift return following childbirth.
After leaving in 2021, James returned to WWE through the "forbidden door" in the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble match as IMPACT Knockouts World Champion. However, the match was won by the returning Ronda Rousey.
Speaking to Riju Dasgupta, James praised Rousey's toughness in returning so quickly. For those unaware, her return came just months after giving birth to her first child.
"Obviously she just took all that time off and came back after having a baby four months ago. I, personally, on a real note, as a woman-to-woman note will say that four months after my pregnancy I would not have felt comfortable showing up at the Royal Rumble, I can guarantee you that." James said.
The Ruthless Aggression Era star also mentioned that Ronda's WWE career has given her something that she didn't have before.
"I think the one thing that wrestling has provided Ronda that she perhaps never really had before was a family atmosphere in the locker room. When she must have been training for all those fights, it's a very single sport. You don't have friends because they are all your competition whereas in wrestling we are a family," James added.
The veteran then gave an anecdote of how Rousey mingled with other performers in the common locker room despite having her own private one.
"I personally remember when she had her own locker room space or whatever. But she specifically wanted to come in the (women's) locker room and change with the girls and be a part of the locker room because she never really had that her whole career. It's always been her own space because she couldn't have friends; they were all her competitions so I love Ronda. I really do," Mickie said. (time stamp 5:50-8:02)
You can check out the full interview below:
Have Ronda Rousey and Mickie James fought each other in WWE?
Even before they met at the 2022 Royal Rumble, Rousey and James are no strangers to each other. The duo has fought each other twice in WWE.
During their first outing on RAW, the team of Rousey and Natalya defeated Alexa Bliss and Mickie on a tag team match in September 2018.
Popular opinion: Mickie winning the Royal Rumble would of created more talk and drew WAY more then Ronda https://t.co/d7h0WUwZMX
Their second and only one-on-one match saw Mickie James challenge Rousey's RAW Women's Championship. However, the Baddest Woman on the Planet made the Hardcore Country tap out, retaining the title.
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