Sunday’s WrestleMania 34 featured at least three legitimate main events, and one of those has been several years in the making. Ronda Rousey, lifelong pro wrestling fan, made her first official WWE appearance during WrestleMania 31, when she appeared at ringside and helped the Rock take Stephanie McMahon and Triple H to task.
Of course, Rousey finally signed full-time with WWE in January of this year, appeared at the Royal Rumble in the world’s most obvious but still welcome surprise, and finally got her WrestleMania match against Stephanie McMahon, as she teamed with Kurt Angle against McMahon and Triple H. This was not only Rousey’s first WrestleMania match, but was also her first official pro wrestling match, ever.
Many fans thought (or perhaps feared) that this match would end up being the true main event of WrestleMania, but it went on before the show was half over. And as usual, because it’s WrestleMania, it featured a big old stupidly amazing Triple H entrance. It once again involved motorcycles, because nothing is cooler than a motorcycle. (Citation: Triple H.)
Rousey’s entrance ended up being something special as well, as she once again paid tribute to her hero “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, this time by rocking a special kilt under her Piper-inspired fighting top and also-Piper-inspired leather jacket. She was greeted by a riotous ovation from the Superdome crowd, followed by a massive “RONDA ROUSEY” chant.
Then we got down to business (finally). Triple H and Kurt Angle started things off (after McMahon punked out Rousey a couple of times and had to be held back by Angle), allowing the anticipation for Ronda to build to a fever pitch. And when Angle finally managed to make that first tag … holy crap.
Things went back and forth there, of course. But the important things are this: first of all, Rousey absolutely rules as a pro wrestler, and secondly, she wanted Triple H to herself, and Triple H got GOT.
This ended up being a far better match than most people anticipated, and the entire internet loved it as well. It all came down to McMahon and Triple H going for stereo Pedigrees on their opponents, and Angle and Rousey turning the tables. Angle and Triple H left the ring, and then it was up to Rousey to make good on her word and armbar McMahon into oblivion.
This match will live on forever as one of the most lights-out pro wrestling debuts ever, if not the best, and the match itself will likely be among the upper echelon of WrestleMania matches, period.
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