Since beginning her UFC career in 2012, Ronda Rousey has gone on to become one of the most famous female combat athletes in the world. The star was the first woman signed by UFC and took the popularity of women’s MMA to heights it had never seen before.
Once her fighting career was over, Rousey headed to WWE where she also enjoyed incredible success. The one constant through those two phases of her career has been her ‘rowdy’ nickname.
While the name is now associated with Rousey, for a number of wrestling fans it will forever belong to WWE Hall of Famer Rowdy Roddy Piper.
Ronda Rousey Given ‘Rowdy’ Name By Roddy Piper
As part of the A&E Biography series in 2021, documentary makers took a deep dive into the life and career of Rowdy Roddy Piper. The legend was known as one of the best talkers in wrestling history, who worked and lived life purely on his own terms.
The episode featuring Piper included an interview and appearance from Ronda Rousey who recalled asking the legend if she could use him name.
“When I first started doing MMA I was trying to think of a fight name and of course the first thing that everybody thought of was like ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey,” she explains. “And it’s like I know, but it’s like, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper already has that and I don’t want to steal it.
Until I happened to see the ‘Rowdy’ one and got his blessing and he was very sweet about it,” she remembers. “He was like, ‘Sure kid, no problem. Better do the name proud’ or something like that.”
Rowdy Roddy Piper was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, and continued to make regular cameos across the wrestling circuit for the next decade. Roddy Piper sadly passed away on July 31st, 2015.
H/t to people.com