Ronda Rousey continues to tell all about her experience in WWE. The former UFC fighter made the leap from the octagon to the squared circle in 2018, making her in-ring debut at WWE WrestleMania 34. Rousey went on to have two extended stints in WWE, both runs which largely featured her as a champion. She wrapped up her latest run at WWE SummerSlam 2023, losing to longtime friend Shayna Baszler this past August, and has made clear that she has no desire to compete for WWE again. Much of this is due to the backstage environment that existed during her WWE tenure, as Rousey described the Vince McMahon regime’s atmosphere as a “casting couch culture.”
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Speaking to NewsNation, Rousey recalled having her sweatpants’ string tugged on by someone backstage.
“One time, I was waiting to go to talk to Triple H in the writer’s room or something. I was standing there and this guy I was barely an acquaintance with, grabs the string of my sweatpants as I’m walking by,” Rousey shared. “I wasn’t even looking at him, and I look down the hall. Nobody else reacts as if this is abnormal. I’m like, ‘What the f–k is that? Why are you grabbing the string of my sweatpants? If my husband was standing there next to me, would you feel comfortable walking up to me and grabbing the string of my sweatpants?’
“If this guy was coming up to me and doing this kind of stuff to me when there are other people around, what’s happening to these other girls when I’m not in the hallway? That really put me on edge that not only is this behavior prevalent, but it’s so prevalent people don’t even realize it’s a problem any more.”
Rousey would then identify this person as Drew Gulak, a WWE competitor, trainer, and occasional behind-the-scenes talent.
“Drew Gulak. That’s who it was. I went and confronted him later,” Rousey continued. “I was like, ‘If I ever hear you putting your hands on any other woman like this, or doing anything to me like this ever again, we’re going to have a problem. He was like ‘No, no, no, I’m glad you said something to me,’ and he really just backpedaled and everything like that. It just put like a really sour taste in my mouth about the culture there, and what’s considered acceptable, and how to touch and treat the women in the hallways and anywhere.”
Gulak has since responded to Rousey’s comments, writing on social media that the incident was accidental and unintentional.
“Backstage at a WWE event in 2022, I saw Ronda talking with a group in the hallway. I stopped to say hi and shake all their hands, and in an attempt to shake her hand, I accidentally touched her drawstring,” Gulak wrote on Twitter. “Complete accident, and one that I had apologized to her for the mishap.”
