Whatever one may think of Ronda Rousey as a performer during her time in WWE, there’s no question that her presence was a boon for the company and or continuing to push its women’s division forward. She just wishes that wasn’t necessary in the first place.
That’s clear from excerpts that surfaced today from her upcoming biography, “Our Fight,” which goes on sale April 4 (perhaps not coincidentally during WrestleMania week). Rousey makes it very clear that while she has respect for Triple H, the same does not go for Vince McMahon, for whom she said it was hard to tell where the “evil, unethical, slimeball character” he played on-screen deviated from his true nature (h/t to Inside the Ropes for the excerpts).
It’s hard sometimes to know where the evil, unethical, slimeball character of Vince McMahon played out for the cameras ends and the actual questionably ethical, many times sued, and multiple times accused of sexual misconduct Vince McMahon begins. That blurred line between character and reality is a recurring theme within the WWE Universe.
Rousey also sounded off on the way WWE long treated female talent, suggesting that the company needed to be dragged kicking and screaming into seeing them as more than eye candy.
WWE loves to do well-produced video segments about the legacy of women within the organization, but the truth is women have largely been footnotes. For the longest time, they were relegated to serving male characters in a valet role, an overly sexualized supporting character that takes cheap shots when the ref isn’t looking. Over time, as the level of female talent grew and society as a whole started to shift, the organization gradually expanded the role of female wrestlers.
WWE bills itself as a sports entertainment organization, and just like in the mainstream entertainment industry, there was, by all accounts, a casting couch culture where men backstage in powerful positions pressured female talent for sexual favors in return for airtime. There were so many public accusations and scandals it’s hard to keep track, and more that I’m sure the WWE managed to sweep under the ring.
Women weren’t just being demeaned backstage, but center stage. Up until 2007, “Bra & Panties Matches,” where female wrestlers won the match by stripping their opponent down to her underwear, were an actual f*cking thing. Even after that gimmick was retired by WWE executives—I’m sure very reluctantly and with a lot of lamenting about political correctness—it was still clear that the organization placed more value on a woman’s physical appearance than her physical ability.
She ultimately thanks the pioneers who helped change that state of affairs, but also bemoans “the amount of sexist, degrading bullsh*t they were put through” along the way.
Perhaps Rousey’s most serious accusation also carries the fewest details. She talks about the “casting couch culture where men backstage in powerful positions pressured female talent for sexual favors in return for airtime,” but doesn’t name any names.
It’s possible that’s because she doesn’t have any firsthand knowledge of things like the sexual abuse allegations against Vince McMahon, which would hopefully imply that things within WWE were starting to change for the better by the time she made her debut in early 2018.
Still, Rousey has never been shy about giving her opinion on any number of issues, and she’s definitely going on the record here. It will be interesting to see what else she reveals about her WWE run when “Our Fight” is released next month.
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