In recent months, Ronda Rousey has leaned into her villainous side with vicious attacks on the likes of Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriquez to try to keep ahold of the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
However, for much of 2022, the star was a fan favourite. After returning at the Royal Rumble that January, she won over the WWE Universe when she eliminated Charlotte Flair to win the Women’s Rumble and secure a ticket to WrestleMania 38.
On the Grandest Stage Of Them All, Rousey continued her feud with Flair, who had by then become the SmackDown Women’s Champion. At WrestleMania, Flair emerged victorious, hitting the Baddest Woman On The Planet with a Big Boot for the pin.
Things between the two didn’t end there and they met over the title once again at WrestleMania Backlash the following month in an ‘I Quit’ match, which Rousey won by locking Flair in an Armbar, forcing her to submit.
Rousey’s reign lasted until Money In The Bank that May. After she successfully defended against Natalya, Liv Morgan used her freshly won Money In The Bank briefcase to challenge Rousey and win the title. Rousey attempted to recapture the gold at SummerSlam but while she had Morgan locked in the Armbar her own shoulders were on the mat and the referee counted the pinfall despite Mrgan tapping out, awarding the bout to the Champion.
After the match, Rousey snapped and attacked Morgan and the referee, indicating a heel turn for the star.
Ronda Rousey steals a fan phone
Weeks later, with her heel run in full swing, Ronda Rousey teamed up with Shayna Baszler at a live event in Atlantic City, Georgia, to defeat Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez. Following the bout, Rousey took selfies with fans before jokingly stealing a fan’s phone and taking a picture of someone else with it.
Later, she retweeted footage of the theft, commenting with an evil laugh.
Mwahahahhaaha 😈😈😈 https://t.co/QAmKVfDuS0
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) August 15, 2022
On the December 30th edition of SmackDown, Rousey successfully defended her title against Rodriguez. However, Charlotte Flair then made her shocking return to WWE after several months away and immediately reignited her rivalry with Rousey, challenging her for the title and then beating her in under a minute to recapture the gold.