Ronda Rousey: “Every Single Person On The Roster Has Been A Teacher To Me”

There’s a reason Ronda Rousey wears a smile when she walks through the curtain.

Speaking to Sara Coughlin of Refinery29, Rousey discussed the one thing she’s told before she heads to the ring.

“The one consistent thing that everyone keeps telling me, across the board, is just have fun,” said Rousey. “The last thing I always hear before I go out there is, ‘Have fun. Make sure you have fun.’ It’s almost like a sign off — ‘Have fun’ is how you end your advice. ‘Have fun’ and ‘take your time.'”

Rousey has taken that advice to heart, much to the disappointment of some fans who prefer her to wear the scowl she famously put on prior to her MMA bouts. In the world of WWE, there’s less pressure on Rousey to succeed and carry the company. As Mickie James recently stated, “nobody is out to get her.”

The family mentality has allowed Rousey to flourish. And when it comes to who has helped her out the most in the ring and backstage, Rousey couldn’t name just one person.

“It’s hard to pick one person, because every single person on the roster has been a teacher to me at some point. I’ve learned something from everyone. [Natalya Neidhart] been amazing to me from day one, when I was just training with Brian Kendrick in secret,” she said. “Nattie knew I was training and she had just finished a South America tour. She had been all over the place, and instead of coming home, she flew all the way out to L.A. and stayed at my house and came to train with me. Now that I’ve been traveling around with them, I’m like, ‘How could you ever have taken some of your home days and spend them on me?'”

Rousey continued, listing other women who have been integral in her WWE success. 

“Sasha [Banks] and Bayley have taught me so much. [They] have been these great examples of being effortlessly great at what they do. They’ve also been a great resource and made me feel so comfortable about coming to them and asking them questions,” she said. “I’ve learned so much from every woman that I’ve ever been in the ring with. Nia Jax was my first singles match and if I didn’t have her as my partner, I don’t know if it would have been as good as it was. It was extremely intimidating that my first ever singles match was for the Raw Women’s Championship and she was just a great mentor and guide through that whole process. The people you are against [are the ones] you spend the most time with and you learn the most from. There isn’t a single woman in the locker room that hasn’t been instrumental to my success.”

Rousey has been praised by her peers for not only her performance on-camera, but for her attitude backstage as well. 

The current Raw Women’s Champion is scheduled to headline the first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view, WWE Evolution, this Sunday when she takes on Nikki Bella.