Given her high profile status in the world of professional sports, Ronda Rousey will never have a shortage of critics. However, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross thinks any knock against the former UFC Champion is rooted in envy.
During an episode of The Ross Report, Good Ol’ JR dished on the negativity that seems to follow Ronda Rousey, particularly from retired wrestlers. To Ross, the reluctance to accept Rousey as a star is just a new cycle of an old trend.
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“When I hear ex [pro] wrestlers or older wrestlers b—h about Ronda Rousey, I believe it’s based on jealousy.” Ross explained, “and the fact that a lot of men are still having a hard time with the females taking up so much of their time on television. Their time? It’s our time. So it was the same thing in the territories. When [Fabulous] Moolah’s girls came to a territory, four girls came in and four guys were sent home with no pay. If [the women] were there for two weeks, [the men] wouldn’t be booked for two weeks. No paycheck, no guarantees. You don’t get paid unless you work.”
Earlier this week, Sasha Banks admitted dealing with her own hesitation to be excited about Rousey joining WWE. While Banks’ quotes may not stem from the same jealousy as a retired wrestler, she did acknowledge her discontent about Rousey’s diet of high profile opportunities.
Without question, Rousey is quickly becoming WWE’s, not just the women’s division, best attraction. While her resume may be limited, her work has been undeniably profound and it certainly feels as if we’re headed for a Rousey-centric era.
Rousey’s energy and innate ability to learn quickly had Ross comparing her to another WWE great.
“She’s a different breed of cat. She’s like Kurt Angle was when he first… full of P and V, when he came to WWE. He was on a different athletic level than most of the other guys. As a matter of fact, I would say all of the other guys. He was that good he was able to separate. And that’s what happens when you win gold medals when you’re in international competition. You excel there. Ronda did that, 17-year-old Olympian, bronze medalist.
The most prevalent critique of Rousey is her ability on the microphone. But in all fairness, only a handful of WWE Superstars are actually exceptional when it comes to yapping in the mic.
“So I think her verbal skills have improved. I’d give her some bullet points. I’d keep her off TV in that role. It’s just soundbites because people won’t remember it anyway. That’s the kind of society we live in. So her athletic skills are still amazing,” he said.
[H/T Wrestling Inc.]
