10 Things You Might Not Know About Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey signing a full-time deal with WWE is a very good thing - in theory.

There's no question that Vince McMahon is rejoicing at the fact a name with genuine mainstream appeal has decided to sign on the dotted line and spend the next chunk of her illustrious career with his company. The pictures; the pictures with the logo. The appearances; the appearances with the logo. Having Ronda's face in the same shot as the WWE logo makes fantastic business sense.

However, the joy from the boardroom certainly hasn't translated to all corners of WWE's women's locker room, or to every inch of the WWE Universe for that matter. While there's no question Ronda's appearance at the Royal Rumble made headlines all over the world and was a bloody big deal, the manner of the debut has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many.

Those people argue the timing of the Rowdy one's debut overshadowed a monumental moment for women's wrestling. It took the spotlight off the history-making Asuka, and the ladies whose hard work over the past three years hauled the division to the lofty point it stands today. Others may call sour grapes - or sour graps haha lol - for this is the nature of showbiz. Both sides of the argument have valid cases.

Ronda Rousey has pointed towards a luminous sign in WWE so far. That's quite literally all she's done. This hasn't stopped the former UFC Bantamweight Champion from kicking up a fuss, though... let's get to know this Superstar a little bit better, shall we?

10. Her Obsession With Pokemon Is So Strong

RONDA ROUSEY IS A NERD! She might be able to kill us all with her bare hands but that doesn't stop Mrs Rowdy from enjoying a lot of things many in her respective circles might look down on. She doesn't care what people think though, which is absolutely fantastic of her.

Rousey loves World of Warcraft, Mortal Kombat, Dragon Ball Z, Taichi Panda (she even starred in an advert for them) and Game of Thrones. During a Reddit AMA, she even revealed that at one point she was reading the third Thrones book "A Storm of Swords" - we're looking at the very next level stuff here, folks.

It appears that Ronda's main passion in the realms of all things NERD, however, is Pokemon. During the same AMA, she revealed that her favourite character is Mew and she used to moderate a Pokemon forum - any mods out there will tell you your fandom for the subject you're keeping fellow fans in-line on needs to be strong.

Ronda would also love to fight Throh in the Octagon ("because he’s the Judo Pokémon and would challenge me the most”), she has every single version of every single generation of the game, and you're not going to make fun of her because of that or she'll hurt you.

While we're here I might as well let you know that her favourite Mortal Kombat character is Princess Kitana. Do with that information what you please...

9. If She Didn't Make It In MMA She Would've Been A Rescue Swimmer For The Coast Guard

Believe it or not, there was a time (before now) when a career MMA wasn't on the cards for Ronda Rousey.

After competing at the 2008 Olympics, Ronda didn't know what she wanted to do with her future. She was eventually persuaded into pursuing a career in MMA even though she admitted that 'she didn't have a face that could take a punch very well'.

With her career path in the balance, Ronda knew that if she didn't turn to the Octagon she was heading for the waters to become a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard.

“I like swimming, I like heights, I like high-pressure situations. Your boat falls over, tag, got ya, you’re alive," Rousey told Wall Street Journal sports columnist Jason Gay.

“I probably would have just retired from judo and I probably would have joined the Coast Guard and become a rescue swimmer or something like that and never would have looked back.”

8. She Owns Her Own Sh*t - Watch Out, Vince McMahon

WWE is a company famed for wanting to own everything. Whether it be a Superstar's name or everything relating to social media with the not so fondly remembered WWE Universe community website, Vince McMahon likes to take any potential bargaining power away from his independent contractors.

That won't be happening with Ronda Rousey - and rightly so. She's a made woman who has worked tirelessly to get where she is today.

She's been in the game of celebrity and the negotiations that come with that standing for a while now and knows her worth. This has seen her register the trademarks for a number of phrases she's used down the years, including 'DNB' (Do Nothing Bitch) and 'FTA' (F**k Them All).

The applications haven't stopped there either, as it was revealed shortly after her Rumble debut that she has applied for the ownership of the name that appeared on her Titantron, as well as the t-shirt WWE are now selling for her.

https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/957830034277924864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

And hey, kudos to Ronda for getting Vince to pay for some music rights - something he reportedly hates to do. Rousey appeared to Joan Jett's Bad Reputation on Sunday - a song she used during her time with UFC. That's a victory very few WWE Superstars manage during their careers which shows how great she must be when negotiations are taking place.

7. She Didn't Speak Until The Age Of Six

This wasn't due to being a shy child or anything like that, a medical condition brought on by being born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck resulted in apraxia of speech - something that initially led those close to her to believe she had a learning disability.

Eventually, the correct diagnosis was made and her parents moved the family to Jamestown, North Dakota, in order to work alongside Minot State University speech therapists familiar with Ronda's condition. The move was also made so Ronda could undergo speech therapy sessions.

It's safe to say this issue isn't affecting Rousey today. She's proven over the years that she's confident with a microphone in hand, developing skills that have not only helped her appear in a number of films, but should translate smoothly into her work for WWE.

6. She Was The First-Ever Female Athlete To Guest Anchor SportsCenter

Not long after it was revealed that Ronda would be the first female athlete to be on the cover of Men's Fitness Australia, it was also revealed she would be the first female athlete to guest anchor ESPN's SportsCenter. Groundbreaking, trailblazing, all that jazz.

Even though SportsCenter is a cornerstone of sports broadcasting in America, up until October 2015 when Ronda took to the hot seat, there had never been a female guest anchor. Shocking, I know.

As well as breaking down a barrier or two, the appearance also served as a promotional tool for Rousey's UFC 193 title fight against Holly Holm in Melbourne, Australia. Naturally, the appearance included an Armbar applied to baseball expert Tim Kurkjian, because BAN-TER.

5. She Loves Ancient Aliens

I'm trying to be obscure as possible here - I hope my quest for obscurity hasn't crossed over into "why the hell would I want to know that?" territory.

You would think being an elite athlete like Ronda is that sitting down in front of the television isn't something her trainers make time for as part of her daily regime. If they don't, she finds the time anyway and loves the show Ancient Aliens - who would Adam and Eve it?

“Sometimes at the end of the day I just need to sit down and learn about some aliens. For some reason it makes me feel good, and I don’t know why, I can’t explain it, but I love me some aliens,” she told Fortune magazine.

We all have our quirks, I guess...

4. She's An Incredible Artist

Ronda Rousey isn't an artist in the way WWE just call Shinsuke Nakamura an artist without showing us any evidence of his supposed prowess with a paintbrush. Ronda is legitimately really good at drawing and stuff - although I don't have any evidence of this to hand. Is it just me, or is something as articulate as art a talent you wouldn't expect cage fighters to be any good at? It is? Ok.

Rousey’s sister, Maria Burns Ortiz, told ESPN W that her sibling's favourite subject for her art is sea life - especially dolphins. Apparently, she even painted a sea-based mural on her bedroom wall as a child. It's clear a love of for the water has played a huge part in her life. Ronda once said she works in four-year cycles - although that has since proven to be false as her stint as an actor was cut short by her move to WWE - so it'll be interesting to see what she's up to in four years time. Will she leave WWE a multiple time women's champion to pursue a career in a body of water? Only time will tell.

3. She Has One Cauliflower Ear

You know when your mother tells you about somebody you vaguely remember from school getting a job at the local post office and your eyebrows go up your forehead a little while you make that noise because you're not really interested? That's what happened when I read Ronda has a singular cauliflower ear - I never knew, I don't really care, it changes absolutely nothing, but it's good to know all the same.

Cauliflower ear is something that happens in contact/combat sports when the ear is subjected to repeated blows. It fills up with fluid and becomes fatter than your normal ear, so it's not really surprising that somebody like Ronda with her backgrounds in Judo and MMA has one. Although, is it surprising that she only has one? I'm no ear expert, but when you have one should the other not follow suit? I guess Rousey is really good at protecting the right side of her head.

2. She Once Went To ER Because A Raisinet Was Stuck Up Her Nose

Well, you've got to laugh I guess - just to clarify, this picture wasn't taken from that trip to ER. Triple H and Stephanie were not present.

“Ronda’s list of fight injuries is common knowledge, but would you believe that the first time she ever went to the ER was because of a Raisinet?” Rousey’s sister Maria Burns Ortiz wrote, via ESPN W.

I might as well let Ortiz take it from here: “This was the scene: Ronda and her two older sisters, Jennifer and I, had been making silly faces that involved putting candy in our nostrils — because hey, that’s the kind of stupid stuff small children find hilarious. Then, Ronda pushed a Raisinet up a bit too far.

“When it wouldn’t budge, we had no choice but to tell our mom. When she couldn’t get the candy out, seeking medical attention was the only option. We loaded into the car and headed for the nearest ER.

“Just as we were pulling into our parking spot, the candy dislodged and popped out. The chocolate layer had melted just enough to let the raisin slide out.”

That's right, the chocolate melted and the pesky little treat slipped out. WWE women's roster, take note. There is a chink in 'Rowdy' Ronda Rousey's armour - exploit it.

1. The Jacket She Wore At The Rumble Belonged To 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper

Wearing a jacket that was clearly too big for her wasn't a fashion statement by Ronda, it was a tribute to a friend.

We all know how Ronda felt guilty for stealing Roddy's nickname so a meeting was set up where Piper gave Rousey his blessing to use it. This meeting blossomed into a special relationship up until the WWE Hall of Famer's untimely passing in 2015. It's clear Rousey left quite an impression on the Piper family, with Roddy's son Colton handing her the jacket to wear for her WWE debut.

Ronda told ESPN: "I promised him (Colton) that every single day that I'm out here the whole world is going to be reminded of his father, his achievements, and what he's done for all of us - me included.

"I just know that he (Roddy) would've really loved to have been a part of this and this is the best way I could think of to make him still a part of it."