Startling Waves: Ronda Rousey’s WWE Odyssey Clashes with Creative Currents Over SummerSlam Showdown
Ronda Rousey, the enigmatic force within WWE’s tapestry, appears to have embarked on a sabbatical from the wrestling realm. The erstwhile WWE Women’s Champion, having locked horns with Shayna Baszler in a mesmerizing MMA-style skirmish at SummerSlam 2023, is poised to take her leave from the wrestling fold for the time being.
In a match that prompted a divergent spectrum of viewpoints, Rousey, once an ally within the Four Horsewomen cohort, tasted the bitterness of defeat against Baszler. Unraveling the behind-the-scenes veil, Dave Meltzer, an oracle of the squared circle from the Wrestling Observer Radio, disclosed that both Rousey and Baszler encountered creative turbulence within WWE’s inner sanctum leading up to the clash:
“The rendezvous between Ronda and Shayna was not the magnum opus of matches. Turbulence brewed between the creative minds at WWE and the dynamic duo, akin to two streams of consciousness veering in disparate directions. The conundrum arose from the juxtaposition of employing MMA verities while still adhering to the tenets of professional wrestling. The juxtaposition of these two realms, one grounded in the primal verve of combat, the other entrenched in the choreography of scripted narratives, had a lamentable effect on the endeavor,” articulated Meltzer.
Throughout the annals of WWE history, echoes of MMA-inspired battles have reverberated across eras, tracing their lineage back to the raucous Attitude Era. The Lion’s Den and the visceral Fight Pit, crystalline embodiments of WWE’s interpretation of unscripted pugilism, stand as testaments to the promotion’s endeavors in blending these two fervent worlds.
