Why Ronda Rousey Said She Did Not Enjoy Her Royal Rumble Win

In an interview with MMA legend and UFC commentator Daniel Cormier on "The DC Check-In," "SmackDown" Superstar and UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey revealed that not only was she supposed to come back as a heel at the 2022 Royal Rumble, but she was prepared to receive the treatment Batista got at the 2014 Royal Rumble.

"I was expecting boos," said Rousey. "I came out with my guard up and I didn't get to enjoy that moment because I was expecting what I got on the way out. So when I came out and everyone popped, I just blocked them out, didn't let them in, and just went in, did my job and got out."

Expecting to come in as a heel on the "Raw" after her Rumble victory, Rousey was told "no, no, no ... you need to smile and you need to stop being a b***h" because Vince McMahon had changed his mind after hearing the pop she received from the St. Louis crowd at The Dome, saying "Well, they popped for her real big so she's a babyface."

While being a babyface can be fun, Rousey would prefer being a heel forever as she "loves being a b***h" and considers it an "outlet." Her idol, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is regarded as one of the greatest heels of all-time, and that is the type of heel she wants to be. 

"He was the real heel that wanted you to hate him, not the cool guy heel," said Rousey, who pointed out to Cormier that the Piper replica jacket that she wears is stab proof. "That's the heel I want to be, the heel that inspires the vitriol of emotions and really gets the other person liked. It's so much easier to get people to hate someone than to like them, and I think a lot of people forget that the job of a heel is to get the babyface over; not for everyone to think that you're a cool heel."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The DC Check-In" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.