There is perhaps no one more polarizing right now in the world of wrestling than Ronda Rousey. The former UFC champion is still a huge name and typically gets a solid enough pop from the crowd when her entrance music hits. She’s capable of working pretty good matches (see recently with Charlotte Flair at Backlash), and her more realistic style of wrestling can feel like a worthwhile counterpoint to the more acrobatic and choreographed style others use on the WWE roster. But her current presentation is not working. She’s being asked to deliver far too many solo promos, which she struggles at, and there doesn’t seem to be any long-term story arc she’s working toward. Something needs to change, and that something is really obvious.
Ronda Rousey needs a manager. Desperately. She needs someone to act as her mouthpiece and deliver the larger narrative to the crowd and, if she’s feuding with someone specific, her opponent. That doesn’t mean she can’t ever talk. She should be a key part of these segments and chime in some, but allowing someone else to do the heavy lifting would free her up to focus on doing what she does best: which is look like a total badass.
This change seems so obvious to me (and plenty of other fans on Twitter) that I’m honestly curious why it hasn’t happened yet. It makes me feel like someone behind the scenes is fighting it. Maybe Ronda Rousey herself doesn’t want a manager or thinks she can improve and figure it out. Maybe Vince McMahon, Bruce Prichard and the rest of the writing staff don’t feel they have the right person around to do it. If that last one is the concern, it shouldn’t be.
There are so many people who would be great with Rousey. Paul Heyman, one of the greatest managers in the history of the business, has said he’d love to work with Rousey and sees so much potential in her. Yesterday, WWE favorite Paige tweeted about Ronda needing a manager, and fans immediately started talking about how the two should work together. Hell, I’d even love to see her work with a current WWE star who is great on the mic like Chad Gable or The Miz. I’m also sure plenty more legends would line up to work with her on a weekly basis. Kurt Angle maybe?
There is absolutely no shame in having a manager. Let me repeat that. There is absolutely no shame in having a manager. Plenty of all-time greats had a manager for a spell during their careers. Brock Lesnar is the obvious example given all his work with Paul Heyman. He really needed that support early in his career, but he slowly figured it over the years and was tremendous as Cowboy Brock during this last lead-up to WrestleMania. He’s far from the only legend. Andre The Giant, Bret Hart, The Undertaker and Steve Austin all used a manager for spells. No one counts it against them.
Wrestling is about getting over with the crowd. It’s about finding the right angle to connect, either to draw cheers or boos. The history of the business is filled with people who had incredible talent and went periods of time with a gimmick that wasn’t quite getting over with fans. The Rock and Roman Reigns are two great examples, but they kept tweaking and kept tweaking until they found the right angle to maximize their talents.
Ronda Rousey has so much talent. Just because her presentation isn’t working right now doesn’t mean another presentation won’t work in the future. It’s time to get to work and try something else. To me, a manager is the most obvious solution. That would allow her to relax, focus on the in-ring work and get more comfortable on the mic with less pressure and at her own pace. It seems like the obvious next step, and it should happen soon. Because this women's division right now in WWE is too good and has too much potential for someone to sit on top with a gimmick that's not completely working.
