Ronda Rousey Reveals What Vince McMahon Told Her Right Before WrestleMania

Ronda Rousey steadily prepares for her first SummerSlam showdown with Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and hopes to continue her historic stretch of in-ring performances after a successful debut on this past week’s Monday Night Raw. Even after nearly six months, Rousey’s WrestleMania bout in New Orleans is still getting coverage and credit as one of the best wrestling premieres of all time.

Now in an interview wit Sports Illustrated, Rousey reveals the advice Vince McMahon gave her right before walking through the curtain for her tag-team match against the Authority.

I usually walk out and I’m all business, but Vince specifically told me to go out and allow myself to feel everything that I was feeling and not hide anything. And not to try and go out and be the tough girl, but to allow myself to smile, to enjoy it because, according to Vince, when I smile the whole world wants to hug me.

Vince will always be criticized for being out of touch, but it’s clear that there is no one who understands an atmosphere like WrestleMania better than Vinnie Mac.

Check out Rousey’s full interview here.