Ronda Rousey’s summer just got a whole lot busier as the former UFC champion has just been announced as a permanent team captain on the ABC reboot of the 70s and 80s series Battle of the Network Stars. The show pits stars from various TV networks against each other in a series of athletic competitions, from more conventional sports like track and football to dunk tanks and more American Gladiators type fare.
The original run featured names like Tom Selleck, Farrah Fawcett, Michael J. Fox, Kurt Russell, Mr. T, Billy Crystal, Heather Locklear, William Shatner, Tony Danza, Lynda Carter, David Letterman, and tons of other names your parents and grandparents are shocked I left out. Dack Rambo was a national treasure and deserves to be recognized as such, dammit!
The show also received a decent bump of legitimacy from legendary sports broadcaster Howard Cosell, who called all of the goofy action with the gravitas of a Super Bowl.
This time it’s ESPN’s Mike Greenberg and Joe Tessitore that will call the action, with Rousey and NFL star DeMarcus Ware leading an as of yet unknown roster of entertainers from 14 different networks through competition. The reboot is being spearheaded by talent agency IMG, so there should be no shortage of names on their Rolodex to fill out the summer long season.
Episode one of the show is set to air on ABC on June 29th at 9PM EST.
