WWE star believes her recent match against Ronda Rousey was "a mental battle the entire time"

WWE Superstar Raquel Rodriguez stated that she's happy with her match against Ronda Rousey, calling it one of the best matches of her career.

The former NXT Women's Champion sent shockwaves through the wrestling community last week when she came out to answer Rousey's open challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Although the powerhouse was unable to pick up the victory, she took Ronda to her limits, earning the respect of the former UFC star.

Speaking about the bout on this latest edition of The Bump, Rodriguez disclosed where her match on SmackDown stands. The 31-year-old also detailed other top matches from her career:

"I rank it at the top. If not number one then number two because I’ve had some pretty intense matches. I've had brawls with Rhea Ripley, I've had high-flying, long, scary matches with the IO Shirai that were just thrilling and then I've had this [against Ronda], which was just a mental battle the entire time. It was no longer about using things outside of the ring. It was just about me and where I was standing in that moment of time and where she was at in that moment of time, and just getting it done. So it's definitely one of the top." (from 19:07 to 19:38)

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Raquel Rodriguez was touched by Ronda Rousey's actions after the match

After her stint in NXT, Raquel Rodriguez made her main roster debut on the April 8, 2022, edition of SmackDown in a backstage segment with Los Lotharios.

The powerhouse was thrown in at the deep end four weeks after her debut as she took on Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown Women's Championship. She came close to winning the title but Rousey was able to snatch the victory via a roll-up pinfall.

Raquel's efforts were appreciated by The SmackDown Women's Champion as the two stars showed mutual respect for each other after the match. Here's what Big Mami Cool had to say about the incident on The Bump:

To have the respect of Ronda Rousey, the Women’s Champ, an amazing human being, mother, fighter, words can’t even describe it and I know I say that a lot but it's really hard for me to find words."

Rousey's bout against Rodriguez was her first title defense since winning the championship at WrestleMania Backlash. The former UFC star putting on excellent matches with up-and-coming WWE Superstars could serve as a template for her title run and could help solidify her position at the top while elevating young talent.

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If you use any quotes from the article, please credit WWE's The Bump with H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for transcription.