Author: Blake Oestriecher / Source: Forbes
Ronda Rousey entered Survivor Series as one of WWE’s biggest babyfaces, but whether by accident or by design, she left the pay-per-view as a heel in the eyes of the fans.
In front of a sold-out crowd inside the Staples Center, Rousey and Charlotte Flair were well on their way to an instant classic when, out of nowhere, “The Queen” intentionally got herself disqualified and then laid a vicious beatdown on Rousey.
The idea behind Flair’s savage attack was to build up Rousey as a sympathetic babyface, but in a somewhat surprising turn of events, the bloodthirsty fans in Los Angeles mercilessly booed a bloodied Rousey and chanted “Becky!” at the former UFC star as she made her exit up the ramp. As noted by the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer (h/t Ringside News), that wasn’t quite the reaction WWE was hoping for:Ronda looked furious leaving as far as with the crowd. She took a horrible beating and then they just turned on her something fierce which is the opposite of what everything was done for and she didn’t look happy about that at all.
Fans across social media also pointed out that Rousey looked legitimately upset by the negative fan reaction:
Just a couple of months ago, Rousey was the unquestioned most popular female star in WWE. The rise of Becky Lynch, now clearly the most likable star in the company (whether male or female), changed that in route to Survivor Series, and then, Survivor Series itself demonstrated why WWE needs to do a 180 with Rousey, embrace the boos and turn her heel.
Rousey, after all, finds herself in essentially the exact same position Roman Reigns has been in over the course of the past few years.
Reigns, the No. 1 merchandise mover in all of WWE, clearly has a massive fan base, but he was widely viewed as an obstacle standing in the way of the pushes of stars like Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins and Finn Balor on Raw. That same problem is now plaguing Rousey. There is no denying that Rousey is still one of WWE’s most likable stars, that she is one of its top attractions or that she is acclimating to pro wrestling faster than perhaps anyone ever, as demonstrated by her downright terrific bout with Flair at Survivor Series.At the…
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