Ronda Rousey lived up to her “Rowdy” nickname! The 31-year-old made her much-hyped WWE debut at WrestleMania 34 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, April 8, in New Orleans — and she stole the show.
The former UFC champion teamed up with Kurt Angle, an Olympic Gold medal-winning wrestler and defeated veterans Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. According to ESPN, the sold-out crowd was rooting hard for the 5-foot-7, 135-pound newbie, chanting “Ronda Rousey!” as she stepped into the ring for the first time.
Rousey told the WWE she was “ecstatic” after the match. She added: “After my wedding day, this is my favorite day of my life I think!”
“I’m just so grateful, man,” Rousey told ESPN on Sunday night. “I’m trying my best to deserve it. That’s, like, that biggest stadium I’ve ever performed in front of. It’s, like, the size of four fights.”
The former mixed martial arts fighter was counting down the days until she stepped into the Superdome ring.
“Every single time I fight, I always look forward to being done after knowing I’d done a good job,” she continued. “This is the first time I was looking forward to actually doing it. Everyone was like, ‘Take your time. You don’t have to rush through it.’ And I was like, ‘Hell, yeah, I’m gonna take my time this is fine.”
Rousey announced in January that she was was retiring from the UFC and has no regrets. “I thought I would never say this, but I’m so happy I lost those final fights because it led me here,” Rousey said. “This is so worth it . . . Everything really does happen for a reason.”
