Ronda Rousey vs. The Authority and the Hype at WrestleMania

Ronda Rousey finally tasted the canvas on the April 2 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw. The former UFC Bantamweight champion was in the ring with Kurt Angle for a Q&A session with their WrestleMania opponents, The Authority.

Rather than give the last laugh to Rousey this time, Stephanie McMahon was the one left standing. Rousey was put through a table and The Authority stood with their heads held high. This was the last big spot before the April 8 extravaganza, which means the time for talking is nearly over. It’s time for Rousey to face the hype.

This is of course not how most WWE Superstars get to The Grandest Stage of Them All. Just being on the card, no matter in what capacity, is hugely important. But most of the time, the booking is one that comes with much more honor and effort.

The former is obvious; appearing on The Show of Shows is indeed an honor for the talents in WWE. The latter is also obvious and directly applies to Rousey. It’s no secret that Rousey is heading to Mania because of her name and not because of her pro wrestling achievements.

But she has always been a fan and she knows how to put on a show. Rousey is no stranger to combat sports of course so she understands the athletic side of it. In that regard, the UFC and WWE are indeed very similar.

However the pressure on Rousey must be enormous. That pressure surely comes from within, as she is undoubtedly anxious to deliver in Vince McMahon’s ring. Then there’s the pressure from fans that are ready to stop talking about the match. They’re ready to actually watch it.

The hype is tremendous, just as fans knew it would be. The moment Rousey signed her WWE contract was the moment she stepped into a whole new world. In this world, her past was in the past. In this world, she had to step up and prove herself. Has she begun to do that yet?

If the first several weeks of her WWE tenure are any indication, then she may be in for some choppy waters ahead. It’s not exactly been a phenomenal debut for her and she hasn’t really impressed consistently. She has shown flashes of competence, which is a good thing. Rousey is not a natural when it comes to the mic so any good moments are encouraging.

That’s not to say that she couldn’t cut a great promo. But she has yet to find her rhythm. She doesn’t raise her voice and sometimes her conversational tone is a bit too laidback. Fans expect fire from their favorites. Ronda Rousey has barely given any steam.

But when it comes to facial expressions and body language, Rousey has excelled. She said more with fewer words and made her point by being her famously intimidating self. If looks could kill, The Authority would not be able to show up at WrestleMania.

Of course her WrestleMania match is about much more than just sharing the ring with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. If anything can take Rousey down on April 8, it’s a failure to live up to the hype.

Is she physically ready? The answer to that question is obviously yes. She surely ran through the match with Angle, Hunter and Stephanie multiple times at this point. The key is not to over think it all, but rather just allow the match to come to her. She may not have rhythm on the mic but she must find it between the ropes.

Is she mentally ready? Rousey lives for the spotlight and she loves proving people wrong. Her WrestleMania debut has nothing to do with trying to win a fight and there will be no real competition in the match. But she still has a fight ahead of her in terms of fan acceptance.

One wrong move, one misstep in the ring and the entire match could go south. Despite how tough she is physically, if her head is not in the game, then things could go badly. She may be extremely popular but she is still an outsider. If she lets the pressure of the night get to her mentally, then fans will see it. They will see it and they will call her out on it.

The WWE faithful knows that Rousey is surely being paid handsomely for her WrestleMania debut. The company has invested a lot of time and effort into her run as well. WWE wants fans to care about her and this match. So with all of the work that was done, Rousey must nail it.

WWE bills her as “The Baddest Woman on the Planet.” WWE is counting on her reputation and her ability to connect with the crowd. But if she does not meet expectations, then the Rousey experiment will ultimately fail.

Next: WWE Raw Review, Highlights, Grades, and Analysis

It would be no easy task for a full-time WWE Superstar to deliver on this kind of hype. The company is asking someone from another world to do it. But this is what she wanted. This is her life now. If anyone can handle the pressure and live up to the hype on April 8, it’s Ronda Rousey.