Ronda Rousey Faces Backlash After ‘Spitting’ on WWE’s $9M Reward

The UFC CEO Dana White once said, “Ronda Rousey is the biggest star the UFC has ever had.” And he isn’t wrong. However, it was WWE that handed the MMA legend her biggest paychecks—even if the WWE ring never fully captured her heart. Today, ‘Rowdy’ has traded the cage and the ring for a quiet life at Browsey Acres. She’s a regenerative farmer, writer, and rancher, raising Wagyu cattle and poultry with her family.

But back in the day, she was unstoppable. In the UFC, she earned the nickname ‘The Smashing Machine,’ tearing through opponents back-to-back and rewriting women’s MMA history. After retiring from MMA at 29, Ronda Rousey stormed into WWE in 2018, feuding with Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch. She proved she could dominate any arena. Yet, despite the glory, her WWE run ended on bad terms—a chapter that still sparks chatter across wrestling and MMA circles today.

Booker T calls out Ronda Rousey for WWE bitterness despite big payday

After winning the Raw Women’s Championship at SummerSlam 2018, Ronda Rousey walked away from WWE, taking a multi-year break from the ring. At that point, she chose to step back to focus on family life. Then, ‘Rowdy’ returned in 2022 for a second WWE run, reportedly earning $1.5 million per year. Over her six-year tenure with WWE, her base pay very likely totaled around $9 million. However, she retired in late 2023, and even after stepping away, she hasn’t held back. In fact, the Judoka has occasionally criticized WWE and its CEO, Vince McMahon, sparking reactions from fans and insiders alike.

As a result, her comments caught the attention of WWE veteran Booker T. On a recent episode of Reality of Wrestling, he addressed Ronda Rousey’s claims, emphasizing that she should be more grateful for the platform WWE gave her. He said, “I really feel like this business opened the door for Ronda Rousey to come in and have a great time, do her thing, and make a lot of money, you know. And I can almost guarantee you this: Ronda probably made more money with the WWE than she made in the UFC. I can almost guarantee you that. And to spit in the face of that is just—it’s an insult. It really is.”

Booker T revealed that he has nothing but love for Ronda Rousey. However, he still warned WWE to rethink carefully before bringing in big-name stars so as to avoid a fallout, like the one they are facing with the former UFC star. Rousey, however, tells a different story. She reveals that she constantly clashed with WWE over creative direction and management, criticizing the company for poor collaboration and botched storytelling, particularly around the Four Horsewomen angle and her final match at SummerSlam 2023.

The conflict escalated into a very public fallout, ultimately forcing her to leave the company. In her memoir, Our Fight, Ronda Rousey reflected on her exit with relief, describing it as finally being free from feeling “held hostage” by WWE.

Ronda Rousey speaks out on being denied the recognition she earned

Before hitting 30, Ronda Rousey had already done it all—cementing herself as one of the biggest names in sports, even before Conor McGregor’s rise. While Jon Jones was making waves, ‘Rowdy’ was breaking barriers, becoming the trailblazer who opened the UFC doors for female fighters. Afterward, she shifted to WWE, capturing the Raw Women’s Championship and proving her star power transcended MMA.

Ronda Rousey’s journey, however, began long before the UFC spotlight. Beyond the ring, she conquered Hollywood, starring in blockbusters like Furious 7 and The Expendables 3, proving she could dominate both sports and the big screen. Yet, despite her groundbreaking career, Rousey feels that WWE and MMA haven’t always given her the credit she deserves.

Looking ahead to her upcoming book, Expecting the Unexpected, which is slated for an October release, she reflected on the early struggles and barriers she overcame, saying: “I don’t think any woman trailblazer gets enough credit because I think people forget very quickly the way that it was and how difficult it used to be. I think the people not remembering how it was, that no one wanted to give women fighters a minute of their day as opposed to seeing them as a valuable investment now. But I don’t want them to be able to know what that was like.”

What do you think about ‘Rowdy’s legacy? Did she get the credit she deserved, or has the world overlooked just how groundbreaking she was? Drop your thoughts below.