Ronda Rousey’s rowdiest moments in her WWE rookie year

4. Battling the Boss

When Rousey started her career in the WWE she named Sasha Banks as an opponent she’d want to face. At the time, Rousey stated she didn’t think she was ready to deliver a match worthy of “The Boss.” But after her bout with Charlotte Flair at Survivor Series the Raw Women’s Champion decided it was Boss Time and she hand-picked Banks as her opponent for her match at the 2019 Royal Rumble.

With rumors swirling that Rousey would be departing from the WWE after WrestleMania 35 it made sense to get the match with Banks on the books. And since Rousey had been linked to Banks’ former Horsewomen, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, for the past few months it gave the match a nice wink to the dream match of The Four Horsewomen of WWE vs. The Four Horsewomen of MMA that everybody’s been clamoring for. Banks played off that angle herself, throwing up the four-finger salute every chance she got. Admittedly she could’ve been referencing a fourth title reign, but in the aftermath of the actual match it became clear Banks meant Horsewomen. Rousey herself stoked the fires by calling them the “faux horsewomen” on social media. With Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir all in town for the NXT TakeOver event one had to wonder if they would make an impromptu appearance as is known to happen at the Royal Rumble. They did not.

Both Banks and Rousey put on a solid match with Banks offering up subtle nuances in selling that have become trademark for her. Not to be outdone, Rousey’s selling game was on point as well. The finish came in a pinfall rather than submission, a first for Rousey.