UFC stars Ronda Rousey, Jon Jones invade WWE SummerSlam
UFC champions Ronda Rousey and Jon Jones spent Sunday afternoon and evening as part of the festivities of the WWE's annual pay-per-view event known as SummerSlam. While it's not unusual for fighters to attend a WWE match or event, it seems that Rousey and Jones got the celebrity treatment as they interacted with the wrestlers and even made an appearance on screen during the show.
Rousey has become a huge fan and supporter of the WWE over the last couple of years along with her stable mates Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir and together they call themselves "The Four Horsewomen" -- a nod to the classic pro wrestling faction "The Four Horsemen" led by one of the greatest of all time, Ric Flair.
At the show, Rousey and her crew sat cage side while watching former UFC champion Brock Lesnar in the main event as he defeated John Cena to become the new WWE world heavyweight champion. Lesnar has held the WWE title before, but this is the first time he's wrapped the strap around his waist since returning to the promotion after spending a few years in the UFC where he was also the heavyweight champion at one time.
Rousey and her team even got a pic with Lesnar and his manager Paul Heyman, who has stated that if anybody from the UFC could transition to the WWE and be successful it would be the women's bantamweight champion. He even offered to be her "advocate" if she ever decided to make the move.
#PaulHeymanGirls @RondaRousey and the #HorseWomen with Brock and your humble advocate! @UFC @WWE pic.twitter.com/ZA1SzWZ2we
— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) August 17, 2014
While at the WWE event, Rousey gave an interview as well where she was asked about possibly entertaining the idea of going to the WWE at some point during or after he fighting career is over.
Thx UFC Champ @rondarousey & @jessamynduke @marinashafir @qosbaszler @mariamenounos #IceBucketChallenge #SmackDownALS pic.twitter.com/jWt9OCiJV7
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) August 18, 2014
"You never know," Rousey told WWE.com. "I have a lot of crazy opportunities on my plate right now. I'm going to try to do as many as possible at the right time or at the best time. Tonight, I'm just here as a fan."
Another nod for Rousey and her squad came during the event when WWE executive/wrestler-for-the-evening Stephanie McMahon acknowledged the team while walking to the ring. She stopped in front of Rousey and her crew while flashing four fingers, the symbol of the "Four Horsemen" during their legendary days in professional wrestling.
GIF - Stephanie McMahon giving @RondaRousey @QoSBaszler the 4 horsemen/women sign #SummerSlam http://t.co/nbq5tHwUCv
— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) August 18, 2014
Following the close of the event with Lesnar winning the title, Jon Jones got a little backstage access with the new champion where he was able to capture a few moments with him after he conquered Cena in the ring.
While it's unlikely the UFC stars will be doing any kind of crossover to the WWE any time soon, it's impossible to ignore the appeal for both mixed martial arts fans and professional wrestling fans. It's certainly appealing to two of the very best in the UFC already.
