Eric Bischoff Explains Why He Never Thought Highly Of Former WWE Star Ronda Rousey
It's probably too early to sit back and put a definitive grade on Ronda Rousey's WWE run. More time may be needed to consider her achievements within the broader context of WWE's history. But one man who never jumped on the Rousey bandwagon is former WCW executive Eric Bischoff. On "83Weeks," Bischoff addressed some of the scathing remarks Rousey's made since her WWE deal came to an end.
"I've never had a real high opinion on Ronda," Bischoff admitted. "In MMA I did ... nothing but respect for her background ... but when she got knocked out by Holly Holm, that was it. That changed her dramatically." For several years, Rousey enjoyed massive success as the face of UFC's women's division, becoming the first-ever Women's Bantamweight Champion and upholding an impressive winning streak. But an unlikely knockout by underdog Holm in November 2015 ended her reign, and many critics — Bischoff included — feel that Rousey was never quite the same.
"Look, you get knocked out — and she got knocked the f*** out — I think something changed," Bischoff said. "Right or wrong, it's just the way I feel, the vibe I get from her." Bischoff feels that Rousey's bitterness carried over into her WWE run, and felt it was a misstep for creative to position her as a babyface from the get-go. "When they brought her into WWE and made her a babyface, it didn't make sense to me," Bischoff said. "Because she's not a babyface ... I always had this feeling ... that she was in it for the payday [and] wasn't really passionate about what she was doing." In her new memoir, "Our Fight," Rousey pulls no punches when discussing her rocky WWE tenure. As juicy as it all may be, Bischoff thinks it's not a great look for the former WWE Women's Champion. "She's a bitter, angry woman," Bischoff said. "Hopefully, she'll sell a lot of books."