10 Pivotal Moments from the Women's Evolution in WWE

#2 Rowdy Ronda Rousey joins the WWE

No one expected Ronda Rousey's WWE run to be as entertaining or successful as it was. If she returns or not, she still left a sizable impact.

For a long time, women struggled for recognition in combat sports in a similar way to how they struggled for recognition in pro wrestling.

It took women's MMA pioneers like Cris Cyborg and Gina Carano to convince promoters to take a chance on female fighters. Would audiences cheer for women warriors just as they did for men, or would the sight of a woman being injured on live TV be too much to bear?

The first axiom proved to be true, but it wasn't until the UFC finally allowed female fighters that Olympic Judo champion Ronda Rousey made the world stand up and take notice of women's MMA.

Ronda Rousey is a household name and crossover performer, and when she decided to lace up the boots and wrestle in WWE it definitely put a magnifying lens on the women's wrestling industry. Ronda helped increase the prestige of women's wrestling, and that effect will last long after her career, hiatus or no.