6 Ups And 9 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (March 18)

1. Rousey Plays Her Character Well

If you’re mad at Ronda Rousey “disrespecting the business,” then congratulations, you’ve been worked.

It was pretty clear as early as Survivor Series that Rousey’s smiling babyface act wasn’t going to carry over against true fan favorite Becky Lynch. Ronda was being cheered due to her celebrity, but at some point, that shine was going to wear off, and when pitted against The Man, it peeled off in a hurry.

So WWE pulled the pin and turned Rousey full heel, and she hasn’t looked back. You could argue that the “breaking kayfabe” stuff is a bit much, but it just paints the rookie (remember, Rousey’s first WWE match was still less than a year ago) as an intruder in the wrestling business who doesn’t respect its strange rules.

Rousey’s act Monday – tearing through Dana Brooke in about 10 seconds, refusing to break an armbar, shoving a referee, punching out security and having her husband do the same – all contributed to that. She’s the DGAF heel champ who’s pledging to “shoot” on Lynch and Charlotte Flair, which is about right for a former UFC champion.

It’s easy to forget that when Brock Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012, his matches were these brutal, violent bouts that involved stiff shots and raw aggression. It’s devolved into Suplex City now, but Rousey’s no-nonsense attitude is reminiscent of that.