Ronda Rousey’s controversial comments are reportedly not a work.
The former UFC women’s bantamweight title holder and Raw Women’s Champion has come under fire for her comments on WWE fans and the wrestling industry as a whole. In a video on Wild Ride! w/ Steve-O, Rousey ripped WWE fans.
“So it’s just like … what am I doing it for if I’m not being able to spend my time and energy on my family, but instead spending my time and my energy on a bunch of f*cking 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*ck these fans, dude.’ My family loves me and they appreciate me and I want all my energy to go into them. So that was my decision at the end of the day. It’s like, ‘Hey girls. Love what you’re doing. I’m gonna try and take all my momentum and push you guys as far as I can … fly little birds, fly! I’m going f*cking home!’ And that was basically it.”
In addition to ripping WWE fans, Rousey also said that the pro wrestling business provides “fake fights for fun.” This drew the ire of many within the industry. While it’s well-known that WWE and other pro wrestling organizations promote scripted matches, the word “fake” is often considered an insult. That’s because the injuries are quite real and things can go wrong in an instant.
In a new report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, it was revealed that Rousey’s comments are not a work. If Meltzer is to be believed, Rousey isn’t doing this for an angle, rather this is how she truly feels.
The comments came as a surprise to many. Rousey’s WWE run has been considered a success due to how quickly she was able to learn the industry and capture gold. While she took a hiatus following WrestleMania 35, few could’ve expected that she had resentment for the paying customer.
MMA fans, however, may not be as surprised. Rousey was criticized for how she handled her first career loss to Holly Holm back in Nov. 2015. “Rowdy” wouldn’t speak to media members and wouldn’t even address her fans for quite a while. She ended up returning to the Octagon in Dec. 2016, suffering a 48-second TKO defeat to Amanda Nunes.
