Ronda Rousey has revealed that she gets more nervous during promos than she does when actually wrestling in matches.
In 2015, while still under contract with UFC, Ronda Rousey began to take her first steps in professional wrestling. During this period, the mixed martial arts star famously appeared at WrestleMania 31 alongside The Rock where she ended up getting physically involved with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
However, it wasn’t until 2017 that she finally signed with WWE, before going on to make a surprise appearance at the 2018 Royal Rumble. In the months that followed, Rousey jumped back into a feud with Triple H and Stephanie, which led to her teaming with Kurt Angle to take on the pair at WrestleMania 34.
It was a moment that Rousey clearly hasn’t forgotten as in the run-up to WrestleMania 38, she adopted the Ankle Lock, in tribute to Angle.
Speaking on the latest instalment of her vlog, Ronda on the Road, the star explained how the WWE Hall of Famer had been her first wrestling mentor, and a hero since she was a child.
“I just really want to be able to put over Kurt as the whole reason I’m doing the ankle lock,” Rousey said. “That’s a way to pay homage to him. That’s all I really care about getting out, because he was my first mentor in this business, and I’ve never really got to honor him outside of our tag [match at WrestleMania 34].
“People compare us all the time because we were athletes outside of WWE and then came to it. As an Olympian, he has been like my hero since I was a little kid, so I love that he gave me the blessing to use the ankle lock.”
Continuing on, Rousey recalled how she tried to get through her SmackDown promo about Angle, as quickly as possible to try and avoid any potential “What?” chants. She added that this was on top of her already being more nervous about live promos as she has to deliver in one take.
“Everyone was like, ‘Your rhythm seemed off, what were you worried about?’” Rousey recalled. ” And I was like if Brock [Lesnar] who is the most over face in the company right now is getting the ‘What?’ chants, they’re gonna ‘What?’ the f–k out of me.
“So I just wanted to blow through it [the promo] to the point where the first break in when I was talking was after I mentioned Kurt because if you ‘What?’ Kurt, then you’re an a–hole.”
Earlier in the video, Ronda admitted she gets more nervous for promos than matches.
“I get more nervous for promos than matches because I have to nail it on the first go,” Rousey said. “I’ve always been a person that communicates better physically than verbally, but I think I got it. They let me say what I want to say, then I got it.”
After being defeated by Charlotte Flair in controversial circumstances at WrestleMania 38, Ronda Rousey will challenge the SmackDown Women’s Champion one more time in an “I Quit” Match at WrestleMania Backlash.
H/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.