{"id":37879,"date":"2017-01-21T15:26:18","date_gmt":"2017-01-21T21:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=37879"},"modified":"2017-01-21T15:28:24","modified_gmt":"2017-01-21T21:28:24","slug":"mcmahons-take-theres-one-way-wwe-use-ronda-rousey-loss-ufc-207","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/01\/21\/mcmahons-take-theres-one-way-wwe-use-ronda-rousey-loss-ufc-207\/","title":{"rendered":"MCMAHON&#8217;S TAKE: There&#8217;s only one way for WWE to use Ronda Rousey after her loss at UFC 207"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1962137416\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>The social media reaction to Ronda Rousey\u2019s loss at UFC 207 last a few weeks ago\u00a0came so feverishly, I\u2019m surprised there wasn\u2019t seismic activity from the number of people pounding on their keyboards.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>As soon as Amanda Nunes stopped Rousey in the first round, practically melting her face with repeated blows, wrestling fans wondered what this meant for Rousey\u2019s future with WWE?<\/p>\n<p>First, though, would this be the last time she fights in the UFC?<\/p>\n<p>If pressed for an answer, I think this fight was the last time we\u2019ll see Rousey fight in the UFC. She looked defeated, even more so than she did after her loss to Holly Holm. She was empty, a shell of her former self.<\/p>\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean she has no drawing value to WWE, but there\u2019s only one way for her to make an entrance that makes sense.<\/p>\n<p>Ronda Rousey has to be a heel.<\/p>\n<p>In reality, she\u2019s been a heel for a long time.<\/p>\n<p>Assuming both parties are interested in doing business together, her back-to-back losses aren\u2019t going to cripple her drawing power for WWE. When Brock Lesnar was making his WWE return in 2012, he was coming off back-to-back losses to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem, and in the fight prior to those, Shane Carwin nearly knocked him out in the first round before Lesnar came back in the second. Rousey looked more dominant in her short time at the top than Lesnar ever did in the UFC, and Lesnar was a beast.<\/p>\n<p>Lesnar came back to WWE as a heel and, throughout his MMA career, he was also portrayed that way. I\u2019m not sure that \u201cportray\u201d is even the right word. In many ways, Lesnar is just a heel. He\u2019s rough around the edges, he doesn\u2019t like the media, and he doesn\u2019t care. He\u2019s not a natural when it comes to PR. You don\u2019t like him? Too bad.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1605736651\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Rousey is the same person in a lot of ways. To most MMA fans, Rousey has been a pampered princess. She did no media ahead of UFC 207 and skipped out on the post-fight cage interview and press conference, instead releasing a statement through her PR firm, just like a slimy heel looking to run away from her problems.<\/p>\n<p>Fact is, she probably couldn\u2019t talk right away. She was likely receiving some medical attention. But plenty of fighters have received some medical attention and made it to the press conference. She wasn\u2019t there because she didn\u2019t want to be. She didn\u2019t want to face everyone. She ran away, like a heel would do.<\/p>\n<p>There was even a rumor late last week that she was going to skip the ceremonial afternoon weigh-in, which only exists so the fans can get a glimpse of the fighters before they get locked in the cage, before ultimately deciding to attend.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s the message there? She doesn\u2019t care about the fans, and she doesn\u2019t care what they think about it.<\/p>\n<p>Rousey\u2019s self-confidence is admirable, but most fans took her mean-mugging as arrogance.<\/p>\n<p>For Rousey to draw in new fans to WWE &#8211; presumably, MMA fans &#8211; she has to be portrayed as a heel. Wrestling fans who aren\u2019t familiar with MMA will accept Rousey no matter what role she fills on television, but to draw in the MMA fan that has rallied against Rousey for more than a year, WWE has to give them the right to hate her.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there are several what-if scenarios. Will Rousey be okay\u00a0with being portrayed as a heel? If her idol is Roddy Piper, she shouldn\u2019t have a problem with it. But if she wants to be a role model for young women, teaching them to fight for themselves, there might be some reluctance.<\/p>\n<p>The problem with Rousey is I think she\u2019s tone-deaf to her public perception. That\u2019s because she has surrounded herself with the wrong people, including her coach, Edmon Taverdyan. But I\u2019m not sure that Rousey has enough self-awareness.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-908608437\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Releasing a statement through her\u00a0PR firm? She didn\u2019t expect that to get some heat?<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, will Rousey\u2019s movie career take off before WWE can even get a jump on using her? That\u2019s possible, too.<\/p>\n<p>Despite her loss, the time to strike for WWE is now.<\/p>\n<p>Lesnar made his WWE debut only four months after his last UFC loss. If WWE were to speed up some booking and get Rousey involved for WrestleMania 33, the timetable would be about the same. I don\u2019t think that will happen &#8211; I\u2019m sure Rousey is going to go into seclusion for the next several months before selling an interview to the highest bidder.<\/p>\n<p>If she needs time off to heal and make a movie, then by the time we get to WrestleMania 34, she\u2019ll be more than one year removed from the end of her MMA career. In an social media era where everyone wants instant gratification, one year is a lifetime. Any stench from her loss last Friday would be long gone, especially if presented the right way by WWE with vignettes showing her dominance.<\/p>\n<p>There are ways for WWE to make big money with Ronda Rousey. Heck, there are still ways for UFC to make big money with Rousey. The parallels between Rousey and Lesnar are there. Lesnar was exposed by his diverticulitis; some would argue he was exposed as a fighter before that. And Rousey was exposed as a fighter as well. Her lack of striking and defense got the better of her after the division finally caught up with her.<\/p>\n<p>WWE offered Lesnar a place to work and make big money on a part-time schedule. WWE could offer Rousey the same.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>NOW CHECK OUT THIS PRIOR TAKE:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/12\/12\/mcmahons-take-kevin-owens-job-interaction-young-fan-reigns-t-shirt\/\">MCMAHON\u2019S TAKE: Kevin Owens did his job in interaction with a young fan in Reigns t-shirt<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1704192468\"><div id=\"pwtor-3493496576\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>The social media reaction to Ronda Rousey\u2019s loss at UFC 207 last a few weeks ago\u00a0came so feverishly, I\u2019m surprised there wasn\u2019t seismic activity from the number of people pounding on their keyboards. As soon <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/01\/21\/mcmahons-take-theres-one-way-wwe-use-ronda-rousey-loss-ufc-207\/\" title=\"MCMAHON&#8217;S TAKE: There&#8217;s only one way for WWE to use Ronda Rousey after her loss at UFC 207\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,4011,53],"tags":[105,564],"class_list":["post-37879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-mcmahons-take","category-opinion_stafftakes","tag-brock-lesnar","tag-ronda-rousey"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2017\/01\/RouseyNunesPunch1MarkJRebilas_USAT3x2_1400.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37879"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37883,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37879\/revisions\/37883"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}