4 things you may have forgotten about Ronda Rousey's first WWE run
Ronda Rousey officially arrived in WWE at the 2018 Royal Rumble premium live event. The MMA star had previously made sporadic guest appearances in the company, including a segment with The Rock, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 31. However, her surprise appearance at the end of the first-ever Women's Rumble match was her first as a proper WWE Superstar.
The Rowdy One went on to have one of the most dominant rookie years in the company's history. She made a victorious in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34 before winning the RAW Women's Title and headlining the first all-women premium live event in WWE history.
Her first run in the company culminated in the first women's match to main-event WrestleMania at the 35th edition of the Show of Shows.
Due to the historic nature of Rousey's first run with the company, some of her less headline-grabbing moments and facts are often forgotten. These tidbits, positive or negative, were not highlights but are, nonetheless, worth remembering.
Let's recap four things that are often forgotten about the SmackDown Women's Champion's first WWE spell.
#4 Absolution tried to recruit Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey's first storyline in WWE saw her team up with Kurt Angle to take on Triple H and current chairman of the board, Stephanie McMahon. Their tag team bout at WrestleMania 34 earned Rousey high praise for her excellent debut performance. During the buildup, though, The Baddest Woman On The Planet had a confrontation with Absolution.
The Paige-managed faction, which consisted of Sonya Deville and current NXT Women's champion Mandy Rose, tried to recruit Rousey. When The Rowdy One rejected their offer, the group launched an attack on her, which was swiftly crushed. The confrontation helped build Rousey as a serious threat going into her match at The Show of Shows, and the feud was briefly revisited after her victorious debut.
With Paige reportedly showing interest in managing The Rowdy One recently and Rose and Deville having found success of their own, one wonders what could have been if Rousey had accepted their offer.
#3 Ronda Rousey was once the longest-reigning RAW Women's champion
The Rowdy One won the RAW Women's Championship from Alexa Bliss in less than ten minutes at Summerslam 2018. This dominant victory kicked off one of the most impressive reigns in the history of the RAW Women’s Championship. Rousey bulldozed the likes of Nikki Bella, Ruby Riott, and Nia Jax on her way to the main event of WrestleMania 35.
By the end of her reign, The Baddest Woman On The Planet had held the title longer than everyone before her. This great feat often flies under the radar because her successor, Becky Lynch, had an even longer reign (370 days). The Man's record may be legendary, but it does not diminish how impressive Rousey's run with the championship was.
#2 Ronda Rousey's first RAW Women's title challenge ended unsuccessfully
Ronda Rousey's first loss in WWE came at the hands of Becky Lynch during their Winner Take All match at WrestleMania 35 with Charlotte Flair. Conquering The Rowdy One's unbeaten streak gave The Man's win even more magnitude, memorably propelling her to stratospheric popularity.
What is often forgotten, however, is that WWE had to find ways to keep Rousey undefeated in her rise to the top without being predictable.
One such maneuver came during Rousey's first world title match, in which she challenged RAW champion Nia Jax at Money In The Bank 2018. Alexa Bliss interrupted the match to cash in her newly-won contract and win the title for a third time.
However, Rousey's perfect record was preserved because she was attacked first by Bliss, winning the original match via disqualification and cashing in one-on-one. This meant that Rousey did not win the championship, but it would not be long before she got her hands on both Bliss and the title.
#1 Ronda Rousey's loss at WrestleMania 35 was controversial
#WinnerTakeAll...and the WINNER is @BeckyLynchWWE, your NEWWWW #RAW AND #SDLive #WomensChampion! #WrestleMania #BeckyLynch https://t.co/81oO0chjwK
Ronda Rousey's loss to Becky Lynch was the biggest headline out of WrestleMania 35. It was a star-making coronation in a historic match, capping off a well-received edition of one of the biggest live events in all of entertainment. The finish to the match, however, contained an important detail that is often overlooked.
The Man pinned Rousey to win both the RAW and Smackdown Women's championships in the Winner Take All contest. However, the pin was mired in controversy as The Rowdy One seemed to get a shoulder up before the referee counted to three. Rousey furiously disputed Lynch's win as the latter celebrated, with her pleas falling on deaf ears.
While this important detail hasn't been highlighted on WWE TV thus far, it could potentially re-ignite a much-awaited one-on-one feud between the two megastars in the future.