100 Greatest WWE Royal Rumble Moments Ever

60. Ronda Rousey Debuts (2018)

WWE Royal Rumble 2020 Edge
WWE.com

Here's another moment starring someone who wasn't actually a Rumble entrant.

Asuka was about to choose either Alexa Bliss or Charlotte Flair to challenge at 'Mania 34 when Ronda Rousey sensationally romped out looking Rowdy to take her WWE bow and indulge in some sign-pointing goodness. This was an unbelievable debut at the time, and mainstream news outlets gobbled up every chance to shout from the rooftops about Ronda as a pro wrestler.

Rousey's debut surely stole a bit of thunder from Asuka, but that was understandable from a business standpoint. Ronda had been a lightning rod (thunder, lightning - decided weather theme here!) in UFC, and now she'd be the same in WWE. Obviously, things wouldn't quite pan out the way anyone wanted long-term, but ooft... what a first impression!

Perhaps this one would be even higher had Rousey clicked with wrestling over the piece. Sadly, she seemed incapable of accepting criticism, and didn't seem to understand that she wouldn't always be the most popular character on TV. What a debut though.

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Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.