As the saying goes, time heals all wounds. But, a really successful WWE debut match at last weekend’s WrestleMania 34 doesn’t hurt anything either. That seems to be the case for Ronda Rousey, anyway. The former UFC bantamweight champion, by all accounts, far exceeded most expectations in her tag team match with Kurt Angle vs. Stephanie McMahon and Triple H.
After the event, Rousey spoke to ESPN. Not just about her debut, but uncharacteristically, about her losses in the UFC as well. For a woman who seemed openly hostile to the subject in interviews leading up to WrestleMania, afterward she took a much more reflective approach.
“It was me versus the world in an individual sport,” Rousey said. “I thought I would never say this, but I’m so happy I lost those fights [to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes] because it led me here. This is so worth it.
“Everything really does happen for a reason. I’m just so grateful. I thought I never would be [grateful] for [the losses], but time is a great teacher. I’m just really, really glad I gave it time instead of giving up and feeling it was the end of the world. There’s so many people who encounter tragedies who feel like the world and time won’t heal it. But all I can say to those people is: Just give it time, even if you think time can’t heal it. You never know what will happen and where it will lead you. Every missed opportunity is a blessing in disguise. I really believe it now.”
Rousey also reiterated her support for Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who battled for the strawweight title in the co-main event of UFC 223 on Saturday, April 7th. In her view, it looks like that fight was just what she needed to know women would do just fine in the UFC without her.
“Oh my god, I’m so proud of them. They’re such great representatives of the sport. They’re what that sport really needs — women like them. It’s just like a great sign for the future,” Rousey said Sunday. “Every sport has its peaks and valleys, but I think they’re a real testament to the staying power of the UFC.
”If anything, it was like a blessing sending me on my way. They had this amazing match, everyone’s super stoked for them and the women’s division. It was just like their way of telling me, ‘Don’t worry, go handle your thing and do what you’re meant to do.’”