Ronda Rousey impressed a lot of people with her in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34, but WWE Hall of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham was not one of them.
Graham took to Facebook to post a lengthy rant about Rousey Monday night. Among his criticisms, Graham called Rousey’s use of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s gimmick “nauseating” and “shallow”:
“I find it a total insult and absolutely reveals that she does not have an original thought in her head. Damn, can’t she be an original at anything ? This shows you how shallow she is and by the way, I am a fan of females being in the main event.”
Notice how he made sure to point out that he’s a “fan of females being in the main event,” lest anyone think his rant was borne purely out of sexism.
Graham then went on to call Rousey a “jobber,” and balked at reports that she almost tapped out Triple H at WrestleMania:
“Speaking of jobbers, I read today a quote by Meltzer that shook me to the core, it goes as follows, ” There was a rumor going around by WWE officials prior to mania 34 that Rousey was going to make HHH tap out to her armbar finisher ( instead of Stephanie McMahon ) […].
[…]
“WHAT ??? Miss Lousy was going to make H tap out ??? This would have been received as well as a cement truck full of pig sh*t being dumped on the mania 34 fans.”
On the contrary, I think the fans would have exploded if Rousey had tapped out Triple H at WrestleMania. But what do I know, a lowly female wrestling fan?
Read Graham’s full rant below.
My Thoughts
I can see why Graham is upset that Rousey is using Piper’s gimmick – it off-put me at first, too. But Rousey’s adoption of Piper’s nickname, logo, and gear is anything but “shallow” or unoriginal.
Fans of Rousey know that she’s used the “Rowdy” nickname since the start of her UFC career, and she’s explained before that she chose the nickname as a tribute to her favorite wrestler (not to mention the alliteration is pretty great). Further, Piper’s son gave Rousey his blessing to wear his late father’s jacket and essentially use his gimmick. In other words, anyone who has a legitimate reason to be upset about Rousey’s imitation of Piper (which does not include Graham) isn’t upset about it at all.
As for Graham’s outrage that Rousey almost made Triple H tap, that’s blatant sexism (despite his insistence that he’s cool with “females being in the main event”). Rousey is an Olympic bronze medalist, UFC champion, and has a legit call to the “the baddest woman on the planet.” If she can’t make Triple H tap, who can?
Rousey is not immune to criticism – no one is. But in this case, Graham is plain wrong.
What do you think of Superstar Billy Graham’s rant against Ronda Rousey? Share your comments below!