Ronda Rousey changes tune on WWE product following controversy
Ronda Rousey abruptly left WWE last year and later made several shocking comments about her time with the company while promoting her book. Now the multi-time combat sports champion has provided a follow-up to previous statements.
The Baddest Woman on the Planet surprisingly left World Wrestling Entertainment in the summer of 2023. After indicating she was retiring, she made a few appearances on the indies and in Tony Khan's ROH. She later blasted the Stamford-based company while promoting her new book, Our Fight: A Memoir. The book itself contains various excerpts from her time with the promotion. Rousey recently expressed optimism over WWE's product with Triple H running the show now instead of Vince McMahon.
In a new interview with TV Insider, the UFC Hall of Famer said she thinks women in combat sports everywhere are succeeding more than ever before because they are being taken seriously. Rousey also said the Stamford-based promotion took a step back after she had headlined WrestleMania 35 along with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, but she thinks they are moving forward once again now that McMahon was gone, with Triple H in charge.
"There was a point after we had the main event of WrestleMania that I feel like WWE took several steps back, but now that Vince McMahon is gone and Triple H is at the helm, I feel we are taking steps forward again. I’m extremely encouraged by what is happening across the entire industry," Ronda Rousey said.
Rousey started with WWE in 2015, signed a full-time contract in 2017, and left in August 2023. The eighth Women's Triple Crown Champion held the RAW Women's Championship, the Women's Tag Team Championship once, and the SmackDown Women's Championship twice.
Ronda Rousey recalling incident led to WWE departure
While promoting her recently launched memoir, Ronda Rousey named Drew Gulak as the superstar who allegedly grabbed the drawstring of her sweatpants in the backstage area one night in 2022.
Rousey claimed she confronted the veteran grappler over the incident, and he later released a statement, confirming that he apologized to the former UFC star. Officials pulled Gulak from WrestleMania XL week events, including removing him from the Hall of Fame ceremony. He was also pulled from NXT storylines. WWE investigated Rousey's claim and Gulak was duly released in April, earlier this year.
Gulak had been with World Wrestling Entertainment since May 2016. The 19-year veteran was a trusted and well-respected talent, who had also worked behind-the-scenes with up-and-coming talents, and celebrity part-timers like The Rock, Logan Paul, and Bad Bunny.