“Amazing, dominant, match of the night, stole the show, silenced doubters, exceeded expectations, killed it, looked insanely good, blew the roof off, incredible, worth every penny.” Those were just some of the reactions that the Twitterverse espoused last night and again this morning following Ronda Rousey‘s much anticipated in-ring debut at Wrestlemania 34. There is no doubt that Rousey lived up to the hype and to borrow one of those phrases above, silenced her doubters.
ICYMI: Ronda Rousey lived up to the hype and threw a barrage of fists in her WWE in-ring debut. pic.twitter.com/adWUJwRpnI
— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2018
Twitter was full of almost nothing but positive reactions to Rousey’s debut, including from wrestling journalists, MMA fighters, fans (both old and new) and wrestlers past-and-present, not all of whom are in the WWE either. Rousey wowed the world and undeniably proved that not only did she belong on that stage, but that she is going to be an incredibly valuable asset to this company. Mic-work perhaps aside, because that is something that WWE can work on with her, Ronda Rousey was masterful in her presentation in the ring. Like a seasoned pro, she sold when she needed to, was confident and composed, and had one of the most popping, rise-to-your-feet moments of the night when she lifted Triple H onto her shoulders.
Wow…thank you @RealKurtAngle the @wwe universe and New Orleans for an unforgettable night… https://t.co/RyaZ8q5I5r
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) April 9, 2018
WWE has been billing Ronda Rousey as the “baddest woman on the planet” and last night with a superior show of physicality, they got exactly what they needed to from her to make that billing seem legitimate. An immense amount of credit has to go to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, who played a fantastic cowardly heel the entire match, for their efforts in helping put Rousey over. But much of the work was Rousey’s own. She wrestled a match fitting of her style, combining her raw athleticism and power, and showed that all of the training she has been doing in the Performance Center is paying off big-time.
Ronda Rousey entered the WWE with some saying she was damaged goods, saying that she only came to wrestling because of her embarrassing losses in UFC. Well, perception is reality and last night, the perception of Rousey completely changed. Most importantly, Rousey herself seemed to change, finally at peace with everything that happened at the end of her UFC career. In addition to the positive reactions she received on Twitter, there was another common theme and that was people commenting on just how happy and proud she has been in her WWE journey.
Ronda Rousey has no regrets. pic.twitter.com/tVGqCsZcYG
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 9, 2018
At a time where individuals criticize wrestling for not being real, Rousey remains a passionate fan and a great mainstream ambassador for the sport. Her genuineness has come across on every Raw and PPV she has appeared on, and while she was able to mask that with proper intensity at Wrestlemania, Rousey still showed the side of her that really was having the moment of a lifetime. She jumped into Kurt Angle‘s arms following the match, pure joy on her face like a kid who’s parent had just come home from a tour of duty in the military. Rousey was once again happy and could soak in the adulation of a crowd who once again were chanting her name.
Ronda Rousey. Two months ago, people didn’t want her in WWE. Now, Twitter is buzzing with hopes of a Rousey/Charlotte Flair program at Wrestlemania 35. Rousey did that thanks to her tireless hard work and effort to make her dream a reality. She silenced her doubters, she impressed, she stole the show, she may have had the match of the night, and so much more.
Rousey had a Wrestlemania moment for the ages and EVERYONE took notice.
https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/983339636310315009
Dana White on @RondaRousey WWE debut: "She has always loved professional wrestling and now she gets to have a blast being a part of it. She will be great at ANYTHING she sets her mind to doing. I thought she was incredible tonight and I'm happy for her.”
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) April 9, 2018
Great job@RondaRousey
Welcome to the best business & fans in the world#WrestleMania— Tommy Dreamer (@THETOMMYDREAMER) April 9, 2018
The person who had their first ever professional wrestling match tonight had match of the night…at Wrestlemania
— Charles Max Barsky (@TheProductDS) April 9, 2018
Backstage I got to tell @RondaRousey how amazing she was in that match last night …I knew she had already heard it but that didn’t change the way she received it…a personal Wrestlemania moment I won’t forget…proud to have you here and congrats ….
— Peter Rosenberg (@Rosenbergradio) April 9, 2018
@RondaRousey killed that shit!!!!!!!
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/WrestleCircus/status/983146865427406848
Damn @RondaRousey is so cool!! What an incredible debut in @WWE 👏😎 #WrestleMania
— Jessica McKay (@JessicaMcKay) April 9, 2018
You know what now that it's all said and done…Ronda Rousey honestly had one of the best matches at all of #WrestleMania.
Well done @RondaRousey
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) April 9, 2018
She shut all the doubters!!! @RondaRousey did freaking amazing in her debut match!!!! It was so cool to watch her!!! Hard work pays off!!!!
— Jazzy Gabert (@Jazzy_Gabert) April 9, 2018
Man, Ronda Rousey totally exceeded all expectations I had for her in-ring ability. Not only is she going to do just fine in the WWE but I think she'll go on to be a great. Now let's have a nice year long programme with Charlotte Flair so those two can headline #WrestleMania 35.
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) April 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/KingRicochet/status/983147193023520769
Wow! @RondaRousey you’re my hero! Welcome to the @WWE! Can’t wait to see what more you do in our women’s division! N
— Nikki & Brie (@NikkiAndBrie) April 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/ryansatin/status/983146434521280512
https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/983146589844893697
https://twitter.com/JamesStormBrand/status/983146603262464001
Best 1st match of all time male or female @RondaRousey
— GRADO (@gradowrestling) April 9, 2018
still blown away at @RondaRousey and her performance last night. I walked to her locker room last night to look her in the eye and tell her face to face like you are supposed to do. After graciously accepting my compliment she said “I just can’t wait for tomorrow”. Neither can I.
— The Coach (@Thecoachrules) April 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/jeremybotter/status/983198817070829569
https://twitter.com/JimmyHavoc/status/983146978983936000
I’ve been telling @TMZ 4 months @RondaRousey was going to #OwnIT tonight at @WrestleMania I told you ALL she was a shinning Star⭐️ Great match fellow #WWEHOF @KurtAngleGGE @TripleH @StephMcMahon the PEOPLE were Going Crazy💥 This match gets 5/5 💎💎💎💎💎 @DDPYoga @RealDDP DDP pic.twitter.com/KIYdsXXYIq
— Diamond Dallas Page (@RealDDP) April 9, 2018