Ronda Rousey shocked the wrestling world at WWE Royal Rumble 2018 when she made a surprise appearance at the end of the event. The show was closed by the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match, which was won by Asuka.
But before Asuka could fully enjoy her moment, Rousey marched down to the ring and pointed to the WrestleMania sign, leaving everyone wondering what future Rousey had in WWE as the show ended.
And that moment didn’t sit too well with Nikki Bella.
“It was nothing against Ronda—it is thrilling that she is at WWE—but it was a bit of a slap in the face to all the historic women wrestlers who had come out for the match, the main event, only to have the moment upstaged by the Ronda announcement,” Nikki wrote in her memoir ‘Incomparable’ (via E Online). “It just didn’t need to happen like that.”
Nikki and Ronda would end up working together before 2018 came to a close, headlining Evolution. Rousey was victorious in what turned out to be Nikki’s last televised bout.
Elsewhere in the book, the Bella Twins discuss their personal tragedies growing up, joining WWE, finding love, and more.
Triple H responds to Ronda Rousey calling WWE fans “ungrateful”
Earlier this month Ronda Rousey caused controversy by labelling WWE fans “ungrateful” while discussing her run in the company.
Rousey, who last wrestled at WrestleMania 35, told Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast that she would rather be spending her time at home with her family than performing for “a bunch of f**king ungrateful fans that don’t even appreciate me”.
“I love performing, I love the girls, I love being out there. But, at the end of the day, I was just like, ‘f**k these fans, dude’,” she also said. “My family loves me and they appreciate me, and I want all my energy to go into them. So that was my decision.”
While Rousey’s comments received instant backlash from WWE fans and Superstars alike, WWE legend and executive vice president of global talent strategy and development Triple H, hinted that Rousey got exactly the reaction she was looking for.
“Ronda is an expert at pushing buttons,” Triple H told CBS Sports.
“It’s a funny thing, when you promote the fight, whether boxing or MMA, part of your job is the fight and the other part is to promote fights.
“The question for people is, is she promoting or are these her true feelings? I think that is where the rub comes in for most people. I think that’s what makes this intriguing.
“Is this the real Ronda Rousey? Is this the Ronda Rousey she wants you to see? Is this Ronda manipulating people? Or is this just Ronda being Ronda?” he continued.
“The world needs to wait and see and find out – I need to wait and see and find out. I’m just as intrigued as everybody else. So, time will tell.”
And if Rousey does want to come back to WWE, she already has a challenge waiting for her from Nia Jax.
Earlier this week Jax called out Rousey on Twitter, using a video of herself executing a particularly dangerous looking spot on Kari Sane during Raw.
Nia captioned the clip: “Since @KairiSaneWWE can’t [do] anything about it, maybe @RondaRousey would like to try #Samoan4Real.”
