Credit: WWE/Twitter
During her UFC career, Rousey was labeled "The Baddest Woman On The Planet" because she let her nearly unparalleled fighting skills do the talking for her. Unlike a Conor McGregor or a Floyd Mayweather, Rousey was never known for being a master of the microphone, and yet, WWE has inexplicably started her WWE run with a few tough-to-watch segments that have highlighted her biggest weakness: Her promo ability.
Prior to Rousey's contract signing at Elimination Chamber, former WWE star Al Snow told The Roman Show (h/t WrestlingInc) that it could be difficult for Rousey's charisma to translate to WWE:
It takes a very special person to work the opposite. If she's capable of taking the charisma she had in MMA, she'll need ten times the charisma in the WWE.
It was easy for Rousey's charisma to shine through in UFC because for so long, she was at the top of the MMA world and couldn't be beaten. All Rousey had to do was look intimidating, fearless and unstoppable. She never really needed to say much, to sell a fight with a war of words or to out-smack talk her opponent, even after she suffered her first loss. But the WWE is a completely different animal, and when you're a babyface without a smooth talking manager, looking tough, menacing or threatening simply isn't enough.
It's about the total package of being able to work a quality match, cut a great promo and sell fans on wanting to watch you perform. The widespread thought among fans is that, despite Rousey being one of the biggest draws in UFC history, it's not a given that her charisma, likability or general success will transfer to the world of WWE. Ideally, Rousey would be paired with an all-time great mic worker like Paul Heyman, who would be able to mask her weaknesses as a talker, but it does not look like a Rousey/Heyman pairing will be happening anytime soon.
That leaves Rousey to fend for herself, and so far, it's been a mixed bag. In terms of portraying Rousey as an intimidating, imposing and legitimate fighter, WWE has done well, thanks in part to Triple H agreeing to be put through a table by Rousey at Elimination Chamber. But Rousey's first-ever WWE promo was lambasted by critics, who thought her mic work did her no favors in regards to WWE's attempt to help her win over a new fan base.
IGN said that "Rousey came across as just another WWE wrestler." Bleacher Report noted that Rousey's WWE career "got off to a rocky start." MMAMania said Rousey "sounded like a malfunctioning robot the entire time." ProWrestling.Net pointed out that "she was so quiet that the crowd was making it difficult to hear her early on."
That represented a stark contract from the cool and confident Rousey we saw in UFC, which helped her become the mainstream star that made her WWE debut such a highly anticipated moment. There is, of course, no denying the star power of Rousey, who F4WOnline.com reported was the No. 1 most searched female athlete in the US last year and who ESPN labeled as the world's most famous athlete.
But that isn't enough. Not for the notoriously harsh WWE fans. They want more. Can Rousey give it to them?
">WWE Raw is taking a very peculiar path with the booking of Ronda Rousey.
Credit: WWE/Twitter
During her UFC career, Rousey was labeled "The Baddest Woman On The Planet" because she let her nearly unparalleled fighting skills do the talking for her. Unlike a Conor McGregor or a Floyd Mayweather, Rousey was never known for being a master of the microphone, and yet, WWE has inexplicably started her WWE run with a few tough-to-watch segments that have highlighted her biggest weakness: Her promo ability.
Prior to Rousey's contract signing at Elimination Chamber, former WWE star Al Snow told The Roman Show (h/t WrestlingInc) that it could be difficult for Rousey's charisma to translate to WWE:
It takes a very special person to work the opposite. If she's capable of taking the charisma she had in MMA, she'll need ten times the charisma in the WWE.
It was easy for Rousey's charisma to shine through in UFC because for so long, she was at the top of the MMA world and couldn't be beaten. All Rousey had to do was look intimidating, fearless and unstoppable. She never really needed to say much, to sell a fight with a war of words or to out-smack talk her opponent, even after she suffered her first loss. But the WWE is a completely different animal, and when you're a babyface without a smooth talking manager, looking tough, menacing or threatening simply isn't enough.
It's about the total package of being able to work a quality match, cut a great promo and sell fans on wanting to watch you perform. The widespread thought among fans is that, despite Rousey being one of the biggest draws in UFC history, it's not a given that her charisma, likability or general success will transfer to the world of WWE. Ideally, Rousey would be paired with an all-time great mic worker like Paul Heyman, who would be able to mask her weaknesses as a talker, but it does not look like a Rousey/Heyman pairing will be happening anytime soon.
That leaves Rousey to fend for herself, and so far, it's been a mixed bag. In terms of portraying Rousey as an intimidating, imposing and legitimate fighter, WWE has done well, thanks in part to Triple H agreeing to be put through a table by Rousey at Elimination Chamber. But Rousey's first-ever WWE promo was lambasted by critics, who thought her mic work did her no favors in regards to WWE's attempt to help her win over a new fan base.
IGN said that "Rousey came across as just another WWE wrestler." Bleacher Report noted that Rousey's WWE career "got off to a rocky start." MMAMania said Rousey "sounded like a malfunctioning robot the entire time." ProWrestling.Net pointed out that "she was so quiet that the crowd was making it difficult to hear her early on."
That represented a stark contract from the cool and confident Rousey we saw in UFC, which helped her become the mainstream star that made her WWE debut such a highly anticipated moment. There is, of course, no denying the star power of Rousey, who F4WOnline.com reported was the No. 1 most searched female athlete in the US last year and who ESPN labeled as the world's most famous athlete.
But that isn't enough. Not for the notoriously harsh WWE fans. They want more. Can Rousey give it to them?
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