SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey has explained why she thinks she “screwed” herself during her return to WWE at the 2022 Royal Rumble.
Following her controversial loss in the main event of WrestleMania 35, Ronda Rousey took herself away from the world of wrestling to focus on her personal life and have her first child.
The former UFC star had been beloved by the WWE Universe for most of her initial run in the company but as fan support swelled behind Becky Lynch, that support deserted Rousey as she lashed out at fans both on and off-screen.
Speaking to her WrestleMania 34 tag team partner Kurt Angle on The Kurt Angle Show, Ronda Rousey explained that the reaction she received towards the end of her first run in her company led to her being so guarded during her return at the 2022 Royal Rumble that she didn’t get to enjoy the moment:
“You know what I feel like, I kind of screwed myself over in that moment because I was so expecting a negative reaction because that’s how I left that, I thought that that’s what I was coming back to. And I kind of had my wall up. And I didn’t really like allow myself to take that, and I kind of blocked everybody out in that moment.”
Rousey added that having had her first child, she was also worried about the risk of injury:
“I also just wanted to do a good job I had been I just had a baby. And the first time I tried to take a bump, I thought that I was going to throw my back out. All your ligaments loosen up and everything after having a baby. So I was kind of more focused on not screwing up and not letting other people screw me up instead of really enjoying the moment and I kind of regret that.”
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