Ronda Rousey reveals instruction she was given by Triple H ahead of WWE debut

Ronda Rousey's WWE career ended abruptly last year, and now the combat sports pioneer is speaking out on her time with the company. She has just revealed an interesting story on Triple H.

The Baddest Woman On The Planet made a few WWE appearances before signing with the company, including the WrestleMania 31 segment that saw her and The Rock get the best of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Rousey then made her official debut at the 2018 Royal Rumble, confronting then-RAW Women's Champion Alexa Bliss, then-SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, and Asuka, who had just won the inaugural Women's Royal Rumble.

Rowdy Ronda made her entrance to a big pop as Asuka was about to pick her champion for WrestleMania 34. The UFC Hall of Famer pointed at the WrestleMania sign and offered a handshake to The Empress, but she was denied. The show ended after Rousey shook hands with then-RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon.

In her new memoir, Our Fight, the 2022 Royal Rumble winner recalled how Triple H confused her with the instructions for her debut after drawing an outline to show where the stage and the ring were, and the other performers, in relation to where Rousey would be.

"Ever since John Cena had pointed at the WrestleMania sign a decade earlier, it had become an iconic gesture. It says to the crowd that this moment is a key moment. 'You're going to come down here. You'll walk into the ring. They'll be here,' he said, pointing. They referred to the predetermined winner of the Rumble, Asuka, and the two current women's title holders, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, who she would have the right to challenge for a title shot at Mania as a result of her win. I nodded, waiting for him to go on, but he stopped," Ronda Rousey wrote in her book.

Rousey continued and recalled how she was confused by the lack of specific instructions. She said she was told to do whatever she wanted as long as she pointed to the WrestleMania 34 sign.

"'Then what?' I asked. 'What do I do? Should I do anything? Do I shake anybody's hand? What should I do'? Triple H shrugged as if I should know. 'I don't know. Just feel it. Do whatever you want.' I looked at him. Then down at the paper to see if he had jotted down secret instructions I missed. Then back up at him, my eyes wide. 'Feel it?' I asked, incredulous, searching for more direction. The WWE had orchestrated a multinational effort under a level of secrecy typically reserved for military operations or jewel heists to get me there. He had literally hand drawn me a map. And in the end, I was being sent out there with just 'do whatever you want,'" Ronda Rousey wrote.

Rousey then recalled the final instructions Triple H gave her as they stood near the ring at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia just hours before her surprise appearance.

"'Stand there,' he said, completely confident. 'Take a minute just to register everything that is happening. Whatever you're feeling, let it show on your face. And then just do whatever you want.' He paused, then added, 'Just make sure you point at the sign,'" Ronda Rousey wrote.

Rousey's Royal Rumble appearance led to her official in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34. The match went almost 21 minutes and saw Rousey team with Kurt Angle to defeat Stephanie and Triple H.

Ronda Rousey's pro wrestling career after WWE

Ronda Rousey shocked the wrestling world when she left WWE in the summer of 2023. Although she indicated that she was retired from the ring, she has laced up her boots for a couple of other promotions since then.

Rousey left WWE after quickly losing to longtime friend Shayna Baszler in an MMA Rules match at SummerSlam on August 5, 2023. She announced days later that she was retired and did not elaborate on her departure.

The UFC Hall of Famer made a surprise appearance at Sami Callihan's The Wrestling Revolver on November 16. She ended up teaming with longtime friend Marina Shafir for a No Contest against Athena and Billie Starkz. Tony Khan then brought in the WWE Women's Grand Slam Champion to work the ROH TV tapings on November 17, where she and Shafir won the rematch over Athena and Starkz.

Rousey only recently started speaking out about WWE to promote her new memoir, and some of her comments have been controversial.