10 Wrestling Facts We Didn’t Know Last Week (Aug 10)
2. Ronda Rousey's Heartwarming Vinnie Mac Story
There was one simple reason why Ronda Rousey was all smiles during her WrestleMania 34 entrance: Vince McMahon's influence. Rousey told Sports Illustrated this week that the boss gave her a quick pep talk right before she walked through the curtain in New Orleans, and he was determined to see his new female star enjoy herself.
That's why he told her to dispense with the usual bad-ass aura for just a minute or so, and bask in the atmosphere of 78,000 people who wanted to see her. Then, cuddly old Vinnie Mac told one of MMA most dangerous fighters that the "world wants to hug her" when she smiles.
Aww.
There was method to McMahon's motivation. He wanted a real reaction from Ronda when she saw a cavernous crowd looking back at her before one of 'Mania's most highly-anticipated matches. The chat worked, and Rousey says she felt a strange mixture of relaxed and elated walking down the ramp.