Last night WWE celebrated the aftermath of the first Women’s Royal Rumble. However, reactions among fans and now the WWE women’s locker room itself remain mixed about how Ronda Rousey debuted.
Nikki Bella sent out two tweets in defense of the women who partook in the Royal Rumble:
Wonder what all the 30 other women candid thoughts were too? N #firsteverwomensroyalrumble https://t.co/42sztg2JWB
— Nikki & Brie (@BellaTwins) January 30, 2018
The FIRST EVER WOMENS ROYAL RUMBLE???? N https://t.co/VvST69nEFD
— Nikki & Brie (@BellaTwins) January 30, 2018
Nia Jax also chimed in:
Cool she’s here….I guess 30 women making history can just be forgotten https://t.co/fHqMezduEH
— Nia Jax (@NiaJaxWWE) January 30, 2018
Dana Brooke agreed with Nikki and Nia:
I feel like she isn’t the only one out there! https://t.co/EPs31CGfbO
— Dana Brooke WWE (@DanaBrookeWWE) January 30, 2018
and the reactions kept coming this morning when Sasha Banks was interviewed:
Sasha Banks on Ronda Rousey: "I have nothing nice to say so I won't say anything at all" @BustedOpenRadio
— Marissa Rives (@TheMarissaRives) January 30, 2018
Hall of Famer Alundra Blayze also gave her two cents:
No discredit to Rhonda. She is a legend in her field. But if you discredit all the women before her and not think they are the reason why we are where were at today you need your ass beat. You’re lucky I don’t reach through this phone and beat your ass? #Disrespectful https://t.co/vMagHttjAG
— Madusa/AlundraBlayze (@Madusa_rocks) January 30, 2018
Meanwhile, in a USA Today interview with Triple H, conducted after the Royal Rumble on Jan. 28 and published before last night’s episode of Raw, he was asked about the locker room reaction to WWE’s signing of former UFC champion Ronda Rousey. He said:
“I think they’re thrilled.
It’s funny, when Ronda came back, all she wanted to do was see those other girls in the Rumble and tell them how great it was. Before we brought her out I was with her watching the tail end of the Women’s Rumble… and she is such a fan of the talent and everybody that’s working that it’s hard for them when they’re around her, like she’s almost in awe of them, in some ways, as much as they look at her because she’s from outside.
She fits right in. It’s funny thing, very few people come into something like this – and I’ve seen a lot of them over 25 years – they come in and there’s a difference. There’s a difference in their mentality and they way they are, and it takes a little while to fit in.
Any time she’s ever been around us, it’s like this is where she should have been her whole life. She’s just like everybody else who is in our locker room. There’s no pretenses, there’s no ego, there’s no anything. She just fits right into them. I think, from that standpoint, they can wait to rub up against her and kind of get that opportunity. It’s going to put a lot of eyes on them and it’s going to elevate their careers and it’s going to elevate what we do.”
The new ‘full-time’ star didn’t even appear last night allegedly due to filming the Mile 22 film, according to nodq. She is scheduled to be filming until mid-February so she likely won’t be appearing on WWE television again until the filming is wrapped up.
Is this a shoot or the build to a Ronda against the world angle since she hasn’t paid her wrestling dues? Do you agree with the women? Sound off in the comments below.
