Recently released star says Ronda Rousey's WWE debut drastically impacted her career

Former WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey is one of the controversial names in the professional wrestling business. Despite a solid rookie year, Rousey could not sustain the in-ring quality, and her booking left a lot to be desired.

To make matters worse, The Baddest Woman on the Planet badmouthed the company she worked for upon leaving in the summer of 2023. Cut to 2025: WWE released Sonya Deville after her decade-long loyalty to the company. Deville recently opened up about how Rousey's jump to the wrestling business impacted her career.

Ronda's initial WWE run in 2018 came following a successful UFC career. Rousey's MMA background affected Sonya Deville's on-screen character when she debuted. Deville was the first woman in the sports entertainment giant to have a mixed martial arts background. She noted this on a recent episode of Busted Open, stating that Ronda Rousey's arrival led to the company emphasizing the latter's portfolio.

"When I first started, I was the first female with the MMA background, and so it was cool when that was my character," Deville explained. "But then, as my character started to evolve, we started to drop the MMA stuff. It was around the time they started to sign Ronda [Rousey], Shayna [Baszler], Jessamyn [Duke], and Marina [Shafir]—the Four Horsewomen of MMA. And so, I was fine departing from that part of my personality and character because I have other stuff to offer. Let them be the forefront of the MMA movement." [From 23:13 onwards]

Sonya Deville recently opened up about life after WWE, revealing that she may revert to her MMA roots.

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Shayna Baszler says WWE fans downplay Ronda Rousey's impact on combat sports

Ronda Rousey was undefeated in UFC for 1,074 days, from her first title defense against Liz Carmouche in February 2013 until her loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015. In wrestling, especially during her rookie year, Rousey was booked stronger than any other woman on the roster. She played a key role in bringing the division's title contest at WrestleMania 35 to the main event.

In an interview with WrestleZone after Rousey's WWE exit, Shayna Baszler pointed to this while discussing her friend's controversial career. The Submission Magician feels the fans do not give the Baddest Woman on the Planet the credit she deserves:

"They like to try and erase what she’s done for women’s sports, women’s combat sports, the UFC & WWE," Baszler stated.

Ronda Rousey has stated that she cannot return to MMA owing to several injuries she has sustained. Perhaps another WWE run is not out of the question.

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Please credit Busted Open and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you're using the first quote.