5 Reasons why Ronda Rousey's WWE run may not succeed

While it was not a huge shocker, the decision of former UFC women's bantamweight Champion to move to the WWE was still a buzzworthy item among observers, to say the least. While some like Cris Cyborg feel that "Rowdy" would do well in pro-wrestling (with a bit of sarcasm), others have not totally bought into the idea, just yet.

Whether Ronda Rousey achieves the same amount of success in the WWE, only time will tell. But in this article, we will be looking at five possible reasons why her new career venture would likely end up to be a bust.

#5 Her mic skills are a bit questionable

Ronda Rousey was indeed a phenom during the peak of her career. Not only did she prove it inside the Octagon, but her persona outside of it was also a sight to behold for observers and media members.

While she did have the personality to be the subject of noteworthy headlines, many of her "quotable quotes" were cringe-worthy, to say the least. After referring to former fierce rival Cris Cyborg as an "embarrassment to both Brazil and women's MMA", she even went as far as claiming that she would be able to beat up male bantamweight fighters in the UFC.

Granted that pro-wrestling trash talk could get worse at times, but Rousey's seeming penchant for outrageous hyperboles might not sit well for WWE fans.

#4 Rousey might not be a fit for the current WWE era

While the WWE still manages to draw huge numbers on a weekly basis, it is no secret that the pro-wrestling culture has dramatically changed over the last 15 years. For one, the company has taken a more "PG" approach, letting go of the blood and level of violence that was seen during the "Attitude Era" of the late 90's through the late 2000's.

Most of the traditional fans are not too fond of this new trend, and this could be one reason for Rousey's WWE run could be a dud. Being a former UFC Champion caliber in mixed martial arts, fans would understandably want more raw action from Rousey, as opposed to the more controlled environment that is prevalent these days.

Even so, Rousey may still very well be at par with (or even surpass) the expectations of pro-wrestling fans. The slight issue may lie with MMA fans who would cross over to the WWE, just to see how she would do.

#3 Rousey left a weak first impression at Royal Rumble 2018

Rousey's WWE move was made official in late January when it was announced that she had signed a "full-time" contract with the company. Around the same time, she made her first appearance as part of the WWE roster during Royal Rumble 2018.

The hype behind her big career move was greatly talked about in both pro-wrestling and the MMA circles, but it all seemed to have dwindled when everyone saw her Royal Rumble appearance. Fan comments after the event described what they saw as "cringy" and that the WWE "did a poor job" in introducing her.

Rousey will be publicizing her WWE signing inside the squared ring on the upcoming Elimination Chamber event on February 25th. While the outcome is a bit expected, it would still be interesting to see how that would turn out.

#2 She left her fighting career open-ended

This was the lasting image that Ronda Rousey left of her once prolific mixed martial arts career: Being battered and on the receiving end of punches en route to a first-round TKO loss to Amanda Nunes in just 48 seconds of action. It all took place at UFC 207 in December 2016 in Las Vegas.

For both Rousey and her fans, this is an image that would not be ideal to leave as the final imprint of her legacy as a professional MMA fighter. The harsh reality is that fans tend to forget all of her accomplishments and instead latch onto this unfortunate image of a fighter who looked like a mere shell of the great persona she upheld just three years prior.

UFC president Dana White has repeatedly stated that he does not expect to see Rousey back in the Octagon. But this is combat sports, after all, where crazier things have happened, and it would not be a surprise if "Rowdy" Ronda suddenly made an MMA comeback.

#1 Regaining MMA glory is not a distant possibility

Ronda Rousey may have fallen from grace hard, but it does not mean that she would not be able to climb back to the sport's pinnacle. In fact, she could still regain MMA glory in the UFC, if she does decide to come back.

The main problem that many people (including her own mother) saw with Ronda was her seemingly unbreakable ties with long-time coach Edmond Taverdyan at the Glendale Fighting Club. This has led to some UFC fighters like welterweight standout Neil Magny to offer Rousey a new training camp to be part of.

Taverdyan may have done wonders for Rousey in the past, but it would not hurt if the former 135-pound queen was a part of a formidable stable, like the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, or the Cesar Gracie Fight Team in Stockton. That would be a brand new Ronda Rousey that fight fans can definitely be on board with.

Edited by Shiven Sachdeva