Remember when Ronda Rousey debuted at Royal Rumble, and WWE’s women’s roster & a lot of wrestling fans bristled at the former UFC champ coming in and instantly being the center of attention?
She still has her detractors among the fandom, and there may be a few wrestlers that don’t like her backstage. But overall, the Rowdy One’s rise to Raw Women’s champion and one of the faces of the company has gone about as smoothly as anyone could have hoped.
A lot of that has to do with her attitude. Rousey’s espoused her share of controversial views in the past, and her on-screen character’s even said some things recently which reminded people of some of those old quotes. But overall, she’s been a respectful rookie in the locker room and a grateful fan-turned-performer in the media.
Both come across loud and clear in an interview she gave to the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Presents podcast, done in conjunction with PWI giving her the top spot in their Women’s 100 ranking for 2018.
Check out this answer to the usual “who’s your dream match?” question. Ronda was even teed up with possible answers like Hall of Famers Trish Stratus & Lita, but went with a workhorse fan favorite (and someone who didn’t seen thrilled when she first arrived) AND kept it humble at the same time:
“I would really love to wrestle Sasha Banks. I’ve been so impressed watching her work and being able to see her from the back and see her work and I was already a fan of her before. I think we’d be able to make something great together. And I think she’s given a lot of women their best matches ever, but I almost feel like I’m not at the right level yet for her, you know? I really think we could make something really special and really great, but I don’t know if I’m at the level that’s ready for that yet and I don’t know what the company - if they would ever like that, but in a perfect world, I would definitely love that, for sure.”
No wonder Sasha’s a big Rousey fan now.
If that’s not enough (and it probably isn’t for folks like, say, Alexa Bliss stans), what women’s wrestling fan is going to say this is a bad target for someone with Ronda’s clout to publicly advocate for?
“I would just like to see women represent 50% of the roster and 50% of every card. I don’t think that’s too unreasonable, you know? I think that’s far away down the line, but it’s a good goal to pursue.”
Good stuff from the champ. Now she better knuckle down and focus on getting ready for The Champ.
Check out Ronda’s entire interview with Pro Wrestling Illustrated Presents here.