5 Ups And 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (August 6)

2. More Smoke And Mirrors

WWE won’t be able to do this forever, but so far, they’ve managed to hide Ronda Rousey’s inexperience pretty decently.

It’s obvious Rousey is somewhat limited and clunky in the ring, though she surprised a lot of people with her Money in the Bank PPV title match against Nia Jax, so it’s possible that she could be a quick study. Regardless, it’s clear that she needs seasoning before being turned fully loose.

That’s why Monday’s match against Alicia Fox deserves praise, even though it lasted less than five minutes. There was outside interference to level the playing field, “timeouts” on the outside, some garbage brawling outside, and the basic Rowdy Ronda offense: jabs, judo throws and an armbar.

Keeping Rousey’s in-ring bouts to special attractions right now while she develops is a smart move, and keeping the matches short with some extracurriculars helps disguise the basic shortcomings. Hopefully it all comes together soon for Rousey and WWE, because you can’t have all of her matches involve distractions and interference.