On the peak of her UFC profession, Ronda Rousey gave the impression to be untouchable contained in the octagon and was arguably the most important famous person on the roster alongside Conor McGregor.
That every one modified on a fateful night time in 2015, when Rousey misplaced her bantamweight title at UFC 193 following a brutal head kick delivered by Holly Holm. She made yet one more look within the UFC greater than a 12 months later, with that combat ending lower than a minute into the opening spherical after she was bludgeoned with strikes by Amanda Nunes.
In her upcoming memoir, Our Struggle, Rousey revealed why she by no means actually addressed the loss to Holm. She stated it got here right down to her resolution to proceed hiding a extreme historical past of concussions, which she stated haunted her since she was a Olympic judo competitor.
“My concussion historical past that I needed to maintain secret for years, so I’d have the ability to proceed to compete and carry out,” Rousey stated when requested to disclose one thing from the guide that she by no means spoke about beforehand throughout an Instagram Stay session. “That’s principally why I needed to retire.”
Rousey stated she suffered quite a few concussions earlier than she ever set foot in UFC, however she couldn’t threat that info being leaked or there was an opportunity she wouldn’t be cleared to combat.
That performed an enormous half in Rousey’s resolution to by no means really face the results from her loss to Holm in 2015, as a result of she believed that might result in a revelation about her struggles with concussions. Reasonably than put one thing on the market that might jeopardize her UFC profession, and even her future in skilled wrestling in WWE, she stayed quiet.
“I feel that there was simply a lot to [that loss], that I couldn’t speak about it within the type of like an interview or an article or something like that, or there could be a number of filters between my phrases and other people studying it,” Rousey defined. “A lot needed to do with having so many concussions after I was in judo earlier than I even acquired into MMA, I couldn’t speak about it in any respect after I was doing MMA. As a result of it might actually put a goal on my head, and I may not have been allowed to compete any farther.
“Similar factor with WWE. They’ve a sophisticated historical past with their performers getting concussions, and it might be a nasty look on them. So I felt like I actually couldn’t speak about it in any respect. So I really feel like this [is the] lengthy kind that I’d have the ability to adequately deal with it.”
Rousey stated strolling away from UFC actually got here right down to her long-term well being greater than struggling back-to-back losses to Holm and Nunes.
“A very exhausting resolution to know, however one which my physique actually made for me,” Rousey stated. “I really feel like that is the one option to actually get that throughout in one of the best, most full approach that it’s not only a tweet and a headline brief.”
Following the tip of her UFC run, Rousey wasted no time shifting gears into her skilled wrestling profession, and rapidly grew to become one of many greatest names within the WWE.
The way in which she tailored her combating model for professional wrestling amazed followers and critics alike. She largely carried out like a seasoned veteran fairly than a first-time novice. Her preliminary run with WWE got here to an finish simply over a 12 months later as she took day without work to give attention to her household and have a child along with her husband, former UFC heavyweight Travis Browne.
Rousey ultimately returned to WWE in 2022, however her second run with the corporate solely lasted for 19 months earlier than she exited the promotion for good in 2023. She then began making appearances at impartial wrestling exhibits, which additional cemented her break up with WWE.
Rousey factors the finger at two WWE executives as the primary culprits behind her resolution to depart the corporate, saying she is going to possible by no means return there after the expertise left a nasty style in her mouth.
“[The book reveals] how a lot of an absolute s*** present it’s on the WWE,” Rousey stated. “As a result of they’ll’t maintain a sword over my head and maintain me hostage with my very own profession. I don’t want something from them, and I don’t intend on going again, so I can really say every little thing that I feel and really feel, the place everyone else that’s nonetheless held captive by their group can not.
“We have been contractually held to 90,000 phrases, and I used to be going to speak a lot extra s***, particularly about John Laurinaitis and Bruce Prichard. However our editor stated we needed to streamline every little thing and never take a detour on, like, the ‘f*** these outdated bastards’ quest. There was much more to it, however I had principally get right down to the meat and potatoes on this.”
The 2 names Rousey talked about each labored at WWE for a few years.
Prichard is at the moment an government director at WWE, whereas Laurinaitis was the manager vp of expertise relations earlier than splitting with the corporate in 2022. Prichard took over for Laurinaitis after his departure.
Laurinaitis and former WWE boss Vince McMahon at the moment are on the heart of a civil lawsuit filed by a former WWE that accuses them of intercourse trafficking and sexual assault. Laurinaitis has denied the allegations in opposition to him and claims he’s additionally a sufferer of McMahon.
Rousey stated she pulled no punches when discussing Prichard and Laurinaitis in her guide, which she guarantees have been the one individuals she had any actual downside with at WWE. She tackled that topic when requested if her heated rivalries have been actual or faux within the organizations she’s labored for.
“In MMA, I initially simply began [beefs with my opponents] for publicity however these different b****** didn’t get the memo and they also grew to become private,” Rousey stated. “In WWE, it’s all faux, I like them. Apart from Bruce Prichard and John Laurinaitis, they’ll go f*** themselves. That’s actual.”
Rousey’s guide hits shops on April 2. The ex-UFC champ is ready to endure a nationwide tour to advertise her memoir, conducting a Q&A at each cease to inform extra tales from her previous.