Ronda Rousey Interviewed Before Elimination Chamber Contract Signing

Hours before her contract signing at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, WWE.com interviewed former UFC Champion Ronda Rousey at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“Well I think this is probably the first time I’ve walked into an arena smiling,” Rousey said with a laugh. “So it’s a little different, it’s a lot different. It’s a high-pressure situation, but also not nearly as high-pressure as I’ve dealt with before. I’m just here to have a good time, sign my contract, tell everybody I’m proud to be here and go on to, we’ll see, hopefully Raw tomorrow.”

Rousey made her first official appearance with the WWE back in January in the closing moments of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. With Royal Rumble winner Asuka, Smackdown Women’s Champion Charlotte and Alexa Bliss all in the ring, Rousey’s music hit and she walked out wearing a leather jacket given to her by WWE legend Roddy Piper’s family. She looked at all three women and wound up shaking hands with Stephanie McMahon at ringside before pointing at the WrestleMania 34 sign multiple times.

At the same time as her arrival, ESPN broke the news that Rousey had signed a lucrative, multi-year contract with the WWE.

“This is my life now,” Rousey said in an interview with ESPN. “First priority on my timeline for the next several years. This is not a smash-and-grab; this is not a publicity stunt,” Rousey said in an exclusive interview with Shelburne. “When I first met with Triple H, I told him, ‘There are other things I can do with my time that’ll make way more money, but I won’t enjoy nearly as much.’”

Rousey hasn’t appeared live on WWE television since, but her on-screen contract signing will take place during the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. WWE has also shown footage of Rousey training alongside NXT Superstar and real-life friend Shayna Baszler, which Rousey also uploaded to Facebook.

Not everybody is happy about Rousey being pushed so quickly on WWE’s main roster, as many of the female WWE wrestlers have spoken out against her.

“My feelings, sorry to do it do you guys, I have nothing nice to say, so I can’t say anything at all,” Sasha Banks said in a radio interview.

“Cool, she’s here….I guess 30 women making history can just be forgotten,” Nia Jax wrote in a tweet.