Ronda Rousey Executes Masterful Heel Turn at Becky Lynch’s Expense

WWE’s road to WrestleMania has been full of plot twists and on Raw fan were given another dramatic turn: Ronda Rousey is now a heel.

Just as Becky Lynch inked her waiver to compete for Rousey’s vacated title at Fastlane, the former UFC Champion stormed to the ring to set the record straight. Rousey told McMahon and the WWE Universe she didn’t drop her title, just used it as a mean to get McMahon to insert Lynch into the WrestleMania 34 match with Charlotte Flair. McMahon handed the title back, then Rousey cut one of the finer heel promos you’ll see.

Laced with doses of reality, Rousey claimed that despite her undeniable success, fans always appreciated Lynch more. By the end of her speech, Rousey had insulted Lynch, McMahon, Flair and the WWE Universe. While her words were plenty, Rousey cemented this heel turn by focusing her post-promo beatdown on Lynch. After a serving of kidney punches and a series of armbars, Lynch was immobile and Rousey stood tall to bask in her newfound badness.

The crowd instantly bought into Rousey’s actions and seemed eager to boo her. Considering Rousey’s fire, the crowd’s reaction, and the excessive violence, this was one of the better heel turns in recent memory with the potential impact WWE at its highest levels.

Rousey did just fine as a face, and frankly deserves to be commended for blowing past all expectations. However, like so many other wrestlers, Rousey learned that being a hero is very hard to do in 2019 — especially when being juxtaposed to someone as hallowed as Becky Lynch.

But like most villains, Rousey’s new ways are rooted validity. Most of her promo was dedicated to reminding everyone that she could kill anyone anytime she pleased. While that part was actually kind of cool, Rousey’s actions afterwards would be enough to repel any ironic fans ready to cheer her. By destroying an already-injured Lynch, Rousey punctuated her turn and will go to sleep the most hated human in wrestling.