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Ronda Rousey & The WWE Are Perfect For Each Other
I’m an optimistic wrestling fan. That’s not something you see a lot of on social media, but I’m one of them. That”s why I think Ronda Rousey coming to the WWE is going to be fantastic. While Rousey has made only one WWE appearance it has generated a lot of reactions.
Ronda Rousey Debuts in the WWE
Firstly, let’s look at what the detractors are saying. Sasha Banks & Nia Jax are seemingly unhappy with Rousey’s arrival and subsequent spotlight. Those comments have triggered WWE fans into thinking that Rousey isn’t well liked and therefore won’t succeed. Let’s get real for a moment. This is the WWE. The athleticism, injuries and insane skill that go into being a pro wrestler are very real. Wrestlers getting fans to start conspiracy theories via Twitter and interviews are not. While I appreciate it still being real to some people, you have to think logically.
Rousey vs. The World
Nia Jax is the women’s division resident monster. Sasha Banks is The Boss. They don’t call her that because she loves giving other women the spotlight. The Nia tweet everyone is focusing on is this one. Now, would it be smart for WWE to get some feuds going via Twitter and interviews or should everyone just be ecstatic that Rousey is there? The WWE is better than almost anyone at utitlizing social media, and if Rousey is still training for her first match, why not use the power of the internet to stir the pot?
Is Rousey going to take someone’s spot? Of course she is. The same way Asuka took someone’s spot when she debuted. The same way Ember Moon took someone’s spot in the women’s royal rumble. If Rousey was in the WWE for a one and done I would understand the uproar. She’s not, as she’s signed to a multi year deal and already has great name value. I’m sorry if I don’t fall apart when she takes Bayley or Mickie James’ spot.
Maybe the dumbest ‘point’ being discussed is that Ronda Rousey will only succeed if she’s built up properly. Uhh, ya think? Same goes for literally every other man and woman that debuts on the main roster. If her character sucks and they put her in story lines that don’t maximize her strengths she will not succeed. If her character is good and they do maximize her strengths, she will succeed. Those two things have nothing to do with Ronda Rousey.
Star Power
Here’s the thing. While it’s fun to think the women’s revolution is due to contributions from past stars, it’s just not true. The reason women are in the main events of Raw, Smackdown and pay per views is because of women like Ronda Rousey. Same goes for the women’s TLC, cage, royal rumble and elimination chamber. If Rousey didn’t prove that people will pay to watch talented women fight, the WWE would not have followed suit. Rousey has legit fighting skills that will only be enhanced as she continues to train in the Performance Center. More importantly, she knows how to sell and perform in big time events.
She’s headlined multiple UFC events that have earned over 1 million PPV buys. While her career as a UFC fighter might be over, her career as a WWE star is just beginning. That’s great news for everyone involved.
-Ryan
Jon Jones Is Once Again His Own Worst Enemy As He Failed Another UFC Drug Test
UFC President Dana White called Jon Jones’ second positive steroids test “brutal” and sounded resigned to a long punishment for the UFC light heavyweight champion.
“If it ends up getting two or three (drug violations), it might be the end of his career,” White said Tuesday during a media scrum at The Ultimate Fighter Gym in Las Vegas. “So to talk about his legacy, it’s probably the end of his career.”
White said the promotion was “probably” going to book Jones opposite heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic (17-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) at UFC 218, a competitive upgrade from the money fight Jones sought against ex-champ and WWE star Brock Lesnar after winning back the title from Daniel Cormier (19-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) at UFC 214.
But now, Jones (23-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) could be facing a four-year suspension and the second stripping of his UFC title after an in-competition drug test revealed the presence of the anabolic steroid turinabol. – MMA Junkie
Any time I hear of an athlete/musician/actor/famous person throwing it all away, I always refer back to the line from A Bronx Tale. “The saddest thing in life is wasted talent, & the choices that you make will shape your life forever.” If Jon Jones failed yet another UFC drug test, and it’s looking that way, then the only way to describe him going forward are the words ‘wasted talent’. Jones is obviously supremely talented, but there’s only so many times you can make the wrong decision before you stop getting chances. Dana White sounded severely disappointed, which he should be, and didn’t rule out this drug test failure as the nail in the coffin of Jones’ career.
I feel bad for Dana White and the UFC, and especially bad for Daniel Cormier. Jones is the only fighter he’s ever lost to, and he was devastated after their fight at UFC 214. To find out you put in all that time and effort only to lose to a cheater would infuriate me, no matter what happens to Jones or the light heavyweight title. The one person I don’t feel bad for is Jones, who will probably cry at a press conference and tell everyone how disappointed he is in himself. Once again, he’s his own worst enemy, and this time it could cost him his career.
-Ryan
Brock Lesnar Has Retired From The UFC
BROCK – Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, who is currently suspended from competition, has informed the promotion that his professional fighting career is over.
UFC officials confirmed the news to ESPN.com on Tuesday following an initial report by MMAFighting.com.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) also confirmed it was aware of Lesnar’s retirement. Because of the retirement, Lesnar is no longer included in USADA’s testing pool under the UFC’s anti-doping program.
It looks like we might be seeing Suplex City more often than we’re used to in the WWE. Per ESPN and confirmed by the UFC, former Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar is retiring. Lesnar is one of the most unique athletes in pro wrestling/MMA history, and is still the only man to hold both the WWE title and the UFC Heavyweight title. While his latest comeback this summer is now mired in controversy, it shouldn’t change the impact he’s had on either company. If the retirement from the UFC sticks, that opens up Brock for more dates to throw guys around in the WWE. He was most recently featured as a participant in the Royal Rumble, and is scheduled to fight Goldberg on April 2nd at WrestleMania 33. With Goldberg scheduled to face Kevin Owens for the Universal title at Fast Lane on March 5th, we very well could see Lesnar crowned as the new champ at WrestleMania.
-Ryan
Jon Jones Is Off UFC 200 Due To An Alleged Drug Test Failure
BONES – Jon Jones is off UFC 200. In a stunning turn of events, the interim light heavyweight champion was pulled from the main event of UFC 200 late Wednesday night after being flagged in a random June 16 drug test administered by USADA. In Jones’ stead, a three-round fight between Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will headline an event that was previously being touted as the biggest in UFC history.
There’s really no other way to react to this situation other than to say that it sucks. It sucks for diehard UFC fans who were ready for “the biggest event in UFC history”. It sucks for casual fans like myself who were tuning in to see a fight between two guys who legitimately seem to dislike each other. It sucks for Dana White. It sucks for all the fighters who didn’t get a chance to be on this card because Jones was. The list of why it sucks goes on and on. I respect the UFC and their fighters, but it boggles my mind that the main event for the biggest event in company history can be dismantled like this three days before the fight. I’m all for drug testing guys as stringently as possible, but isn’t there a way to be notified before July 6 that a guy failed a drug test on June 16th? I’m not familiar with the drug testing procedure in MMA, but this is a total kick to the balls for the UFC, and it’s doubly as bad when you remember Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz were also supposed to be on the card. Thank God for Brock Lesnar, because without his fight against Mark Hunt, I really don’t know what the drawing power for this event would be.
-Ryan
A Back Surgery Will Delay CM Punk’s UFC Even More & Maybe It’s Time To Chalk This Up As A Loss
UFC – CM Punk detractors are going to have some more ammunition, as the former WWE Champion will have his UFC debut delayed yet again. He’ll be undergoing back surgery to repair a herniated disc, according to MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani.
Punk told Helwani that his back is something that has always bothered him, and he figured that it was simply professional wrestling injuries. As it turns out, it was.
“It got bad enough to the point where I couldn’t do anything the week before I went to train with the New Jersey Devils last month. One day I could manage, the next day I couldn’t. I’ve been in agony for almost a month. Chiropractor, acupuncture, massage, cryotherapy, nothing worked,” Punk told MMA Fighting.
CM Punk was linked to both July’s UFC 200 and June’s UFC 199 to take on Mickey Gall. Gall defeated Mike Jackson at last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 82 to earn the right to take on Punk in his UFC debut.
CM Punk has been signed with UFC since December of 2014, and yet here we are, 14 months later, and he’s no closer to fighting in the Octagon then he was when he first signed. I understand Punk prides himself on doing things that everyone says he can’t do, but maybe he should take these constant roadblocks as a sign that he’s in way over his head. Personally, I’m still bitter at Punk for the way he left the WWE, but I do still want to see him fight in the UFC. If nothing else, it’d be a spectacle, and it’d make him and the UFC a lot of money. But the facts are real: he’s 37 years old & if he’s constantly getting hurt during training, what’s going to happen to him when he fights a trained fighter for real? I’ve already seen one cult hero retire too early due to concussions, I don’t need to see another one.
-Ryan
CM Punk Getting Hassled by a Dick Head Made Me Like CM Punk Again
Check this out from the Fox/UFC Q&A:
First off, for anyone who doesn’t know who Troy McClure is, or you don’t get the reference, watch this:
Now that we got that out of the way, what kind of sick piece of crap ruins a perfectly good Q&A session? I’m sure CM Punk or any of the other UFC fighters that participated didn’t need to be there. I really want to believe that CM Punk genuinely likes interacting with fans, I really do, but I can see why sometimes that can be a little bit hard to do. I’m sure for every nice and normal fan Punk encounters on twitter, or in real life, there is 20 of these underwear stains ready to challenge him to a fight or call him names. The name CM Punk has left a sour taste in my mouth every since he left the WWE the way he did (and we will never actually know the real reason for his departure), but after this dude getting all up in Punk’s face I am in Punk’s corner for his first UFC bout. Whether it be against this dude or anyone else, I hope Punk silences the haters.
-Matt
PS-
For his antics at the UFC event, the gym Pousson trains at banned him. What a moron.
Ronda Rousey Won The Best Female Athlete ESPY & Immediately Called Out Floyd Mayweather
LMFAO!!! Ronda don’t play! pic.twitter.com/jT3KW1lS3M
— Dana White (@danawhite) July 16, 2015
Ronda Rousey might be spirit animal. Not only does she win Best Female Athlete, but she’s uses that platform to call out serial abuser/horrible person Floyd Mayweather. Now I’m not saying Ronda Rousey would beat Floyd in a boxing match. He’s one of the best in the world for a reason, but throw him in a UFC cage and he’d probably get his arm broken. People are arguing that Ronda shouldn’t have won this ESPY, which is weird, because usually when someone wins an award, no one ever complains and everyone is just happy for the person who won. Whether you agree with her winning or not, you can’t argue that she’s a badass who should absolutely join the WWE because we would love her and appreciate her.
– Ryan
Ronda Rousey’s Outtake Video From Her SI Swimsuit Photo Shoot Is Very Nice
Ronda Rousey did an SI Swimsuit photo shoot, and there’s now an outtake video online. It’s pretty wonderful, as is Ronda Rousey. What’s seriously not to love about her. She’s an ass kicker. She loves wrestling. She seems like a lovely human being. And she’s also very easy on the eyes. My only question is how do you get to be the guy who rubs her down before the shoot? You could pay me in barrels of peas and I’d still be down for that job.
– Ryan
