UFC -turned- WWE star Ronda Rousey has responded to claims that she was furious about not headlining Wrestlemania 38 on Saturday. Rousey took on Charlotte Flair at the flagship WWE event in contention for the Smackdown women’s championship.
Ahead of her fight it was reported that the former UFC champion was ‘angry’ that she wasn’t appearing in the event’s headline fight, with WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin’s fight with Kevin Owens topping the card. And fellow wrestler Bryan Alvarez made the claim on the Bryan and Vinny Show podcast .
He said: “Ronda thought that she was going on last. She wasn’t. The Kevin Owens Show was going on last. And when she found out she was furious, I was told. One person who knows her, so I presume that this is true, said she was so mad Friday that she walked out. So she wasn’t at the Hall of Fame.”
Following fight night, Rousey has since hit back, claiming it was an ‘honour’ to fight under headline Austin on Saturday night. She tweeted: “I don’t know where these “reports” come from but it was an absolute honour to perform under Steve Austin at Wrestlemania in Texas.”
The 35-year-old then went on to address the claims of her not showing up at the Hall of Fame, revealing that her absence was down to caring for her six-month-old baby. She added: “I wasn’t a hall of fame because I have a six month old baby. I had to put to sleep early. People are literally creating drama out of thin air.”
On fight night, Rousey controversially lost her title clash with Flair in her fourth Wrestlemania appearance after making her debut in 2015. Following the loss, a number of viewers quickly jumped onto social media to defend the 35-year-old, including UFC icon Daniel Cormier.
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As a result, Cormier tweeted: “They cheated @RondaRousey!” This came after Flair had illegally speared the fight referee to the ground, before Rousey made her opponent tap out whilst the official was still out on the floor.
Rousey then attempted to wake up the referee, but then received a thumping kick by Flair. Her opponent then quickly pinned down the UFC star as the official got back on his feet, to signal the end of the match and confirming a controversial victory for the defending champion.
Austin also bowed out with a memorable victory in the headline match against Owens, whilst another WWE legend in Rey Mysterio fell to defeat alongside brother Dominik, as debutant Logan Paul secured the win alongside The Miz.
