Ronda Rousey's Lack Of Fan Connection Endangering Career, Says Former WWE Personnel

Ronda Rousey has had an eventful pro wrestling career since becoming a full-fledged WWE superstar following a magical run in mixed martial arts (MMA), but Eric Bischoff feels a disconnect between her and the industry.

On the latest episode of his "83 Weeks" podcast, the former on-screen general manager of Raw broke down his line of thinking.

"All I can tell you is that from the moment she arrived in WWE... I didn't feel as though she made a connection to the audience. There was something there that wasn't complete. The connection is like 90%. I never felt that she was comfortable in WWE as a character," he stated.

Bischoff later explained that Rousey does not lack talent or potential inside the ring, but he did say he is seeing a lack of passion for the industry itself despite her commitment.

Such sentiments have been held by many fans as comments about her work have centered mainly around her abilities on the microphone.

While Rousey portrays a heel much better than a babyface, her promos fall flat on its face as she somewhat relies on having to prove she was one of the most feared women in MMA.

It is a telling sign for most viewers when her most highly regarded promo dates back to the January 28, 2019 episode of Raw when she went toe-to-toe with Becky Lynch.

While her MMA background was a solid way to get her foot in the door, many have been hoping for Rousey to showcase a side of her that they have not seen from her–something that can make her feel more human and relatable.

In contrast to Rousey, Bischoff thinks social media star Logan Paul has been able to put together a more convincing pro wrestling character.

"[With] Logan Paul, I felt the connection immediately. I felt like Logan felt like he was born for this, whereas with Ronda, I feel like she wants to do this, and there's just a subtle difference between being born for it and wanting to do it," Bischoff said.

"She's not there yet. I've never felt that connection and I still don't."

There is truth in Bischoff's comments since Paul has been able to garner reactions from fans that are congruent with his actions in the ring and on the mic whereas Rousey is largely the same character since debuting despite facing the likes of Lynch, Liv Morgan, Bayley and Sasha Banks.

Both Paul and Rousey are set for WrestleMania 39 action with the former taking on Seth Rollins in a high-profile match, while the latter is in a four-way tag match alongside Shayna Baszler.

There is still hope that Rousey can turn it around sometime soon, but fans are growing more apathetic seeing her in WWE–the one reaction that pro wrestlers dread the most.