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Anyone who has seen Furious 7 will tell you that Ronda Rousey is not the world’s greatest thespian. But either she’s getting better at acting, or she’s getting tired of her career in professional wrestling.
Recently, the WWE has been building toward a triple threat match for the Raw women’s title between Rousey, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, likely as the main event of WrestleMania on April 7 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The match would be the first-ever women’s main event at a WrestleMania should this happen, but yesterday, Rousey broke the cardinal rule of professional wrestling, releasing a video on her personal Vlog where she angrily said that wrestling is scripted and she wasn’t playing by those rules anymore because at the end of the day, she could legitimately beat up every woman in the company.
“It wasn’t a promo they gave me other things to say I didn’t f*cking say it,” Rousey said. “It’s not a promo. It’s not an act. I’m not going out there and doing their f*cking act anymore. They can say it’s part of the act to try and save face but it’s not an act. I’m going out there and doing whatever the hell I want and they can explain it however they want, but f*ck ‘em. Everybody. WWE Universe included. I meant that I’m going to disrespect the sport that they all love so much. ‘Oh don’t break kayfabe, Ronda!’ Wrestling is scripted. It’s made up. It’s not real. None of those b*tches can f*cking touch me. The end.”
Now look, is this all part of the storyline the WWE is trying to build? Probably? It’s tough to say. While Rousey has historically been a company woman (at least as far as doing whatever the UFC wanted), she also has a history of reacting poorly to slights and insults and completely going off the rails when things do not go as planned. For instance, after getting knocked out by Holly Holm, Rousey retreated from the public eye for a year, and when she returned would no longer do media in advance of her fight with Amanda Nunes. Recently, Lynch has taken shots on Twitter at Rousey’ husband, Travis Browne, and it’s possible this actually set Rousey off. Rousey’s former rival Miesha Tate certainly thinks so.
“I know for a fact that burnt Ronda’s cookies,” Tate told SiriusXM’s Busted Open radio. “It got under her skin. I know about this. You don’t talk about her family, you don’t talk about this, even if it’s just a joke. She does not have a sense of humor, and therefore sh*t got real. . .
“No, Ronda’s pissed. Ronda’s not joking. She’s not playing games. She’s not used to having to play by rules. She never had to before. Why is she gonna now? She’s already broken the rule with the F-word, saying some things are ‘fake.’ She’s not a company woman. She never has been.”
Tate and Rousey had a storied rivalry throughout their MMA career and she could well be right about all of this. Or it could be an elaborate work. If it’s not though, Charlotte Flair probably also just put herself on Rousey’s sh*t list with her response to Rousey’s video.
Can someone please remind Captain Badass here that her last two fights before coming to WWE ended with her unconscious and sobbing in the cage?
— Charlotte Flair (@MsCharlotteWWE) March 8, 2019
Four years ago, you were untouchable. Now? Not so much.
You’re a class act, @RondaRousey
https://t.co/QBksunFE2X
Maybe this is just the in Cris Cyborg needs to make the jump to WWE.
MUST-READ STORIES
Rematch. Yoel Romero faces ‘Jacare’ Souza, not Paulo Costa, in UFC main event on April 27.
Co-main. Donald Cerrone: Squabble over co-main status the holdup to Conor McGregor fight.
Paulie. Paulie Malignaggi signs with Bare Knuckle FC, promoter says fight with Artem Lobov ‘could make a lot of sense’.
“It’s a fight.” Referee Marc Goddard says he made ‘wrong choice’ in comment made to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235.
Swimsuit. UFC’s Paige VanZant to be featured in Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
Lawsuit. Frank Mir says he’s considering legal action against USADA.
VIDEO STEW
The MMA Beat.
UFC 235 Rewind.
Woodley on what happened at UFC 235.
Floyd still being Floyd.
Kyle Noke telling stories about The Crocodile Hunter.
LISTEN UP
Bushido Talk. Discussing Conor as a co-main, Colby Covington, and Robbie Lawler.
Believe You Me. Reacting to all the action from UFC 235.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Max vs. Tony. Yes please.
Conor has all the real estate in Paulie’s head.
Conor the coward @TheNotoriousMMA with 2 minute rounds I'm sure even YOU can't quit at this! Time to settle it.l @bareknucklefc
— Paul Malignaggi (@PaulMalignaggi) March 7, 2019
Munhoz is a good fight.
I’m either fighting Munhoz or getting a rematch with Moraes. Nothing else makes sense. The division makes no sense. UFC make sense great again!
— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMaster_UFC) March 7, 2019
Al.
Yet.... he dropped Tony Ferguson. https://t.co/03pYii3mvQ
— A1 Iaquinta (@ALIAQUINTA) March 7, 2019
Big week for Usman.
This was one of the biggest reasons I wasn’t leaving Las Vegas without that belt @ufc pic.twitter.com/4VxaZAcXDJ
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) March 7, 2019
Victor still making things happen.
Fortune cookie wisdom.
We get very good at what we specifically train with very little cross over. For example spend 4hrs per day doing rubix cubes and after a year you'll be very good at rubix cubes, no improvement any where else. Consider this when punching a tennis ball attached to your head.
— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) March 7, 2019
Well, this is wild.
Plus, Sage and Shaq.
Nice meeting you Superman! You’ve got some hard kicks pic.twitter.com/C9TTgHe33A
— Sage Northcutt (@sagenorthcutt) March 8, 2019
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Yoel Romero (13-3) vs. Ronaldo Souza (26-6, 1 NC); UFC Florida, April 27.
Aspen Ladd (7-0) vs. Sijara Eubanks (4-2); UFC Rochester, May 18.
TODAY IN MMA HISTORY
2014: Alexander Gustafsson knocked out Jimi Manuwa at UFC Fight Night 37.
FINAL THOUGHTS
- I know nothing about pro wrestling, but I’m totally willing to believe Ronda went off the rails there.
- Absolutely savage burn by Charlotte. Ronda needs to not play the dozens with these wrestling folks. They’re way better at it than she is.
- Becky Lynch apparently trains at SBG, so Ronda is probably safe there, but my sources say that Charlotte has been training her jab with GGG, so Ronda should watch out.
Also, if there is even a hint of truth to the Conor-Cowboy stuff, it’s the most insane thing I’ve ever heard. The person who suggested that should be fired immediately.
Thanks for reading, enjoy the fights, and see y’all on Monday.
EXIT POLL
Poll
Who wins?
This poll is closed
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38%
Derrick Lewis
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61%
Junior dos Santos
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