Nikki Bella Felt Ronda Rousey’s WWE Debut Was Disrespectful

The WWE Women’s Division made history back in January 2018 when the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble took place at the end of the annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Asuka wound up being the last woman standing and was greeted in the ring by then-champions Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, only for UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey to make her surprise debut and greet all three women by pointing at the WrestleMania sign. Suddenly the biggest story of the night was Rousey’s arrival, and the sudden report that followed stating she had signed a multi-year contract with WWE (which would result in her working full-time up until WrestleMania 35).

However not everyone in the locker room was happy with how Rousey was positioned. In her new book, Incomparable, Nikki Bella brought up Rousey’s arrival and called it a “slap in the face” to the other female wrestlers.

“It was nothing against Ronda — it is thrilling that she is at WWE — but it was a bit of a slap in the face to all the historic women wrestlers who had come out for the match, the main event, only to have the moment upstaged by the Ronda announcement,” Bella wrote. “It just didn’t need to happen like that.”

However Bella did have positive things to say about her match with Rousey that took place later that year a the all-women Evolution pay-per-view.

“That night was career-justifying,” she added. “That night was worth breaking my neck for.”

Rousey hasn’t wrestled since competing in the main event of WrestleMania 35, and her recent comments about WWE fans and wrestling as a whole has ruffled quite a few feathers.

“So it’s just like … what am I doing it for if I’m not being able to spend my time and energy on my family, but instead spending my time and my energy on a bunch of f—ing ungrateful fans that don’t even appreciate me? I love performing. I love the girls. I love being out there … but, at the end of the day, I was just like, ‘F— these fans, dude.’ My family loves me and they appreciate me and I want all my energy to go into them,” Rousey said in a recent interview with Steve-O. “So that was my decision at the end of the day. It’s like, ‘Hey girls. Love what you’re doing. I’m gonna try and take all my momentum and push you guys as far as I can … fly little birds, fly! I’m going f—ing home!’ And that was basically it.”