Ronda Rousey was a full-time WWE superstar for six years and she didn't like what she saw. The three-time WWE Women's Champion who is now retired and working towards her release Debut graphic novelHe hopes to become pro wrestling's leader in a world where former CEO Vince McMahon is not in power.
“I think everyone is better than Vince McMahon,” Rousey told CBS Sports while discussing the matter Kickstarter campaignout July 25th for her graphic novel “Expecting the Unexpected.” “The only place you can go is up. I really enjoy Triple H and working with him, and honestly I wasn’t watching, but I saw something from Natty.” [Neidhart] They said they recently had a card that had as many women as men on it.
“That’s what I would really like to see. The women are equally represented, not only with matches on the card but also with time on the show.”
Rousey wrote scathing comments about McMahon in her recent autobiography, Our fight. She criticized the company's poor history of booking women and pointed to the various allegations of sexual misconduct against McMahon, the latter resigned from WWE and parent company TKO in January and is reportedly The subject of a federal investigation for sexual abuse and human trafficking.
The modern WWE power structure has changed dramatically. Triple H, known as Paul Levesque in his executive roles, primarily serves as WWE's chief content officer alongside CEO Ari Emanuel and president Nick Khan. Levesque was an integral part of Rousey's career. Rousey first entered a WWE ring at WrestleMania 31 in 2015, locking the arm of Levesque's wife Stephanie McMahon in a segment that also included Triple H and The Rock. Rousey made her in-ring debut three years later when she teamed with Kurt Angle in a tag team match against Triple H and Stephanie.
“I feel like there's no other way but up and I'm really happy for all the women who are still there and thriving under the new regime,” Rousey said.
Paul Heyman was another important person in Rousey's professional wrestling career. Heyman's close friendship and on-screen chemistry with former UFC and WWE champion Brock Lesnar put him on common ground with Rousey when she moved from UFC to WWE. Rousey says the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame inductee – who is actively doing some of his career best work in the “The Bloodline” storyline – ran the popular cult wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and held roles as general manager and head writer for SmackDown – has contributed to the industry in ways that will never be fully understood.
“I feel like he’s the absolute backbone of the entire industry,” Rousey said. “People don’t see the spine. It's hidden under the body, but he is literally everyone's mentor. Every successful action has its roots in him. I think the industry would be a shell without him.”
“You should consider yourself so lucky to have his time because he was able to use that genius for everything else. But he spends 100% of his time and energy in the WWE. He is the person who encouraged me creatively. He really believed that I was more than what my body could handle.
Check out the full interview with Ronda Rousey below.
Rousey credits Heyman for encouraging her on the writing journey, which has led to her graphic novel, a memoir, and screenwriting credits for her upcoming Netflix biopic.
“He really encouraged me to write and create,” Rousey said. “He's the person who told me, 'You have to write your own story.' No one has seen me in this light before or had such faith in me. I didn't even have that belief in myself, and after I broke my ankle, I jumped straight into surgery. When I was on the plane performing “The Stephen Colbert Show” to promote “Mortal Kombat 11,” and finally In bed for the first time in four to eight hours, I sat there typing a copy in the notes on my phone for eleven hours. The first draft of it was something that was inside of me, and Paul Heyman was the one Only one who saw it.
“Five years later, I've learned so much and put so much work and love into it, and it's finally seeing the light of day. It's not something I do to impress anyone. I finally got away from that part of my life. I'll do whatever I feel like, and here it doesn't matter one way or the other. It's like an I had to tell the story and write it. I hope she finds someone, even a person, who has had to read it as many times as I have had to write it.
