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There was a time when Ronda Rousey had the world under her feet. This was when she fought in the UFC. As her talents shone through, Rousey’s stock rose sharply, garnering her praise from all corners. Soon, Hollywood came calling. Seeing her growth and career trajectory, there were comparisons with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. The WWE legend had managed to shine in both industries and fans billed Rousey as ‘The Female Rock’. But that didn’t happen.

Now, just days after Rousey exited the WWE, a pro wrestling legend dissected her career and stated why ‘The Baddest Woman on the Planet’ faltered, despite having most qualities that Johnson possessed.

Mick Foley picks Ronda Rousey’s Achilles’ heel in pro wrestling

It is not easy to fill in the void left by Dwayne Johnson. Legions of pro wrestling fans love the 51-year-old for his innate ability to entertain. Rousey tried with her wrestling skills, but she had a key factor missing from her arsenal.

“I would put Ronda’s rapid progress up there with that of Steve Austin, Kurt Angle and The Rock – the fastest learning curves I’ve personally seen in our business,” Foley stated on Facebook, where he wrote a rather lengthy post to celebrate the legacy of Rousey’s WWE career.

“But each of those giants had one formidable arrow in their quivers that Ronda never quite got the grasp of – the ability to cut a great promo,” he added. There’s no doubt that promos, or the lack of them, have plagued Rousey throughout her five-year journey in the WWE, which recently came to an end, after a loss to former UFC peer and current WWE superstar Shayna Baszler at SummerSlam.

Foley, who many consider an all-time hardcore wrestling legend, especially for his high pain threshold and penchant for brutal matches, also explained another of Rousey’s flaws.

“If Ronda had an achilles’ heel as a performer, it was that all of her mistakes were made on the big stage, and that her wrestling character did not evolve as quickly as her in-ring skills did,” he wrote.

But Foley wasn’t just critical of the UFC Hall of Famer. He also praised her as a pioneer in the WWE. While this didn’t go down well with the WWE Universe, the legend had backed his claim with reasons.

Ronda Rousey was more emotionally invested during the first run, says Foley

Rousey had two stints in the promotion, one between 2018 and 2019 and another beginning in 2022. While the first one was marked with fanfare, the second saw fans hating on Rousey for her take on pro wrestling as a product.

Foley too believes that Rousey’s first run was significantly better than the second one. “Motherhood has a way of redefining priorities, and rightfully so,” he wrote.

“But I firmly believe that her first run was not only incredibly impressive in the ring. But even more consequential in introducing new eyeballs to the product, and injecting a major dose of credibility into the general public’s perspective of professional wrestling,” the WWE Hall of Famer said.

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He also hailed Rousey’s presence as instrumental in WWE scheduling a women’s match as the main event at WrestleMania. This happened when Rousey locked horns with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch at a Winner Takes All triple threat match at WrestleMania 35.

Quite interestingly, Rousey’s first interaction with a live WWE crowd also had Dwayne Johnson inside the ring. The Great One introduced Rowdy Ronda to the crowd at WrestleMania 31, who welcomed her with thunderous applause.

Who knew that Rousey’s journey would take such a turn eight years later? That said, do you agree with Foley’s analysis? Let us know in the comments.