It has officially been a whole year since Ronda Rousey made her huge WWE debut entering the world of professional wrestling and what a year it has been! From historic moments to shifting an entire division to new heights Rousey has proven herself and silenced critiques throughout the past twelve months in a new world but with rumours of her possibly departing with the company after Wrestlemania in April what have been Ronda’s best WWE moments so far? Let’s take a look.
Main-Eventing Evolution
While Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair may have gone down as the match of the night at Evolution, no one can take away the fact that Ronda Rousey made history in October of last year when she main evented the first ever all women’s PPV. Her singles bout against Nikki Bella may have divided fans as much as the storyline itself but this was a huge career moment for Rousey putting her back in the history books yet again and having a huge role in making Evolution the success it was.
Sending Triple H Through a Table
We’ve seen Rousey take out male talent throughout the past year during little segments over on Monday Night RAW with the likes of Kurt Angle and Baron Corbin facing her wrath but it was when the baddest woman on the planet sent Triple H through a table that fans realised this was a whole new kind of women stepping into the division. With no other female talent on the roster making an impact on this level and taking out the COO in the way in which Rousey did it was clear there was no better, bigger and stronger way to make an impact.
The Armbar After Wrestlemania
Despite taking out both Stephanie McMahon and Triple H during her in-ring debut at WrestleMania Ronda was not quite done with her rival and the night after the biggest event of the year Rousey looked to send one last message to Stephanie putting her in the Armbar yet again and with a smile on her face and the crowd loud this was a prime example of badass Rousey at her best.
“You Think I can’t Wrestle? I’ll show I can Wrestle”
We may have only just seen Ronda Rousey and Sasha Banks do battle less than a week ago but after fans did witness there is no denying that her performance one year after her debut must be noted as one of her best moments so far. Competing against arguably the strongest all-round wrestler in the women’s division today this was a real test for Rousey but once again she stood tall, silenced doubters and impressed yet again. This was a real showing of just how far Ronda has come in the past year, proving she can, in fact, wrestle and keep up with the Boss. This singles match was another fantastic showing yet somehow has stood out as possibly Ronda’s best championship defence to date.
Becoming the RAW Women’s Champion
Ronda Rousey becoming the RAW Women’s champion was inevitable. From the moment the baddest woman on the planet arrived in the WWE fans were expecting to Rousey to have gold around her waist and it was simply just a matter of time. Spending her first few months gaining momentum and setting her sights on Stephanie McMahon the next move forward was, of course, the championship picture and after stepping in the ring against Alexa Bliss at the SummerSlam PPV Rousey scored the win we had all been waiting for and was crowned the brand-new RAW Women’s champion. Her match against Bliss was huge in Ronda proving she could hack it in the ring with a full-time wrestler of Bliss’ level but also in showcasing her ability to tell a story and show more of her character in the women’s division and her win was the start of what has been a very dominant run as champion and cemented her as the new face of the women’s division increasing the fight, determination, and general standards of the title picture within the division.
That John Cena Comment
The rivalry between Nikki Bella and Ronda Rousey truly did divide fan opinion with some loving it and some… well, not but there is no denying the simple that we did most certainly get some great moments and this feud enabled Rousey to step up in terms of mic work and show even more depth to her character. In a segment involving the Bella twins, Ronda Rousey shocked fans and delivered one of the best promos of her entire WWE career when she utters the words “The only door you have ever knocked down is the door to John Cena’s bedroom”. The rivalry between the pair was very personal, in fact, the most personal of Rousey’s run with the company to date but this promo and that line went down such a treat and was the moment fans really begun to believe in Rousey even more as a character and in her mic skills.
In-Ring Debut at Wrestlemania
In April of last year, only a few months after making her first WWE appearance at the Royal Rumble event, Ronda Rousey made her in-ring debut at the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania in a mixed tag team match seeing her align with Kurt Angle to take on Stephanie McMahon and Triple. Shocking fans with what she was able to do in the ring Rousey competed in what would go down as one of the best matches of 2018! For spending such little time in the world of pro wrestling Rousey moved around the ring just as well as the women she shared a locker room with, and it was on this night critiques were silenced, and it was evident Rousey belonged in the world of pro wrestling having a hugely successful career ahead of her.
Vs Charlotte Flair
Throughout the past year Ronda Rousey has competed in an array of matches which have shown her to be a strong in competitor especially considering how long she has been wrestling for so much so that there could be a separate list looking at her best matches alone however, it was the singles bout against Charlotte Flair at Survivor Series which has jumped out from the list greatly. While this is the one bout she didn’t walk away with a pin/submission win it was the best fans had seen her compete in the ring finally being matched with an opponent who could truly give her a run for her money. Fans witnessed a very different side to Rousey during this match and the contest overall opened doors for much more to come.
Royal Rumble Debut Night
In January of 2018, the world was left stunned when UFC Star Ronda Rousey made her debut for the WWE at the Royal Rumble PPV. Stealing the spotlight after the first ever all women’s Royal Rumble match Rousey shook the entire WWE and landscape of the women’s division creating a buzz and a wider step in the Evolution of women’s wrestling. Her signing went down as one of the biggest in WWE history and looking back at her debut night still gives me and so many other fans chills.
The Suspension
There, of course, have been so many standout Ronda Rousey moments over the past year but when looking at her very best WWE moment so far her suspension may just be the thing that tops the list for a lot of fans. Why? Because it was the Ronda Rousey we had been waiting to see finally stand before us. Her attack on everyone in sight including Alexa Bliss, Kurt Angle referees and security made for an epic moment of sheer brutality. Rousey was ruthless, dangerous, and exactly the superstar we had all been expecting her to be and to this day we still need to see more of this side of her.
One year on and those are just ten of Ronda Rousey’s best WWE moments. Whether she does, in fact, depart with the company later this year or not the baddest woman on the planet has changed the women’s division for the better in a huge way! Her impact, the signing its self, and the actions we have seen from her have re-shaped the women’s division and Ronda Rousey has become one of the biggest names in the WWE today and one of the biggest signings of all time!
All Pics Courtesy of WWE.COM