Ronda Rousey Opens Up About Pride, Frustrations Of Main-Eventing WWE WrestleMania 35

Six years ago, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey made history when they became the first women in WWE history to main event WrestleMania. Despite the moment of Lynch being crowned a double champion becoming one of the most unforgettable moments in wrestling, it also came at the end of a five-hour long show, with WrestleMania 35 holding the record for WWE's longest premium live event of all time. Rousey, who no longer wrestles in the company, recently provided her thoughts on competing against Lynch and Flair at midnight, stating on "The Lapsed Fan" that she was drained by the time of the main event, but was motivated by Joan Jett playing her theme song.

"I mean, I was honestly exhausted, tired. My leg had been cut open from the go home, kicking through the window. And it would kind of remind me of being on SNL, where I was just so exhausted and I hadn't slept like 24 hours by the time they were about to play to come out," Rousey explained. "I would rise from the dead for Joan Jett playing me live ... just go get Joan Jett, and I will wake up immediately."

Rousey also outlined her frustrations with WWE not investing enough time into the match and feels that being one of the first women to main event WrestleMania isn't very noteworthy today. "I mean, it felt really special in that it was a crime that they put so little effort into it. But it was also, you know, you break that glass ... after that, everybody's going through it. It's not a big deal." 

The finish to the historic match also ended controversially, with Lynch getting the three count on Rousey despite the latter's shoulders not being down on the mat. The botched ending left a sour taste in the mouth of some fans, but according to Rousey, the finish went poorly due to lack of preparation coming into the match.

"I felt like they weren't down and so I was scooting to try and get them down. And I was like, oh well, f**k if it went down that way, which is what happens when you don't f***ing rehearse something that you just came up with," Rousey exclaimed. "It's not, oh, it didn't look as smooth and perfect because we didn't actually practice it."

Despite many fans often having mixed opinions on Rousey's involvement in WWE, she did play a massive role in paving the way for the newer generation of female stars to main event wrestling shows, but it doesn't seem like the former UFC Champion cares all too much about the legacy she left in the ring.

"I don't give a f**k. Women are gonna be main eventers in 10 years. Awesome. I realize at one point that, man, I do so much badass f***ing gangster s**t that no one's ever gonna know about. And I realize that, you know why I do it? It's because I really get a kick out of doing badass gangster s**t. It's not so like people see it and appreciate it ... Oh guys, you have no f***ing idea. I'm the most badass gangster b***h that'll ever f***ing exist. But will everyone appreciate it? Probably not."

Rousey also feels that it wouldn't have been a possibility for women to main event WrestleMania 35 without her involvement, claiming that Lynch and Flair had already fought on numerous occasions before then and that WWE put trust in her to make the match feel worthy of its spot on the card.

"They weren't gonna main event Charlotte versus Becky 9,000. You know, they'd already done it so many times before and even though it's great every single time you do it, they have to do something to make it different ... they needed that assurance of something that's already been proven and once I've done that, every combat sport, they'd seen it done. And so it wasn't a far stretch to do it."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Lapsed Fan" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.