Gilbertti points out that they do help out a lot of people, and in a huge lawsuit like this the company had to try to save some money. Russo thinks that WWE picking and choosing who they help is probably what gets under some people’s skin, but at the end of the day these performers are their own worst enemies because they signed the contract. Russo points out that guys like Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks have proven that you don’t have to sign that contract.
Gilbertti speaks about WWE’s presentation of Ronda Rousey thus far. He thinks Rousey is a natural heel and an unlikeable person. WWE has positioned her as a babyface and are writing babyface promos for her, but it’s very evident that she’s uncomfortable delivering the lines. When she’s unscripted in a real-life situation, she comes off as an unlikeable person.
Gilbertti admits that Rousey might be bringing more publicity to WWE, but the publicity has sucked. Her promotional appearances on ESPN this past week were not very good, as it was evident that she has no interest in talking about her MMA career. He adds that WWE wanted to bring her in as a killer, but she “marked out” her first night on RAW and it simply hasn’t been going well at all since then.
He points out that it seems like her fans left her after she lost two UFC fights; partly due to the losses, and partly due to the way she carried herself after the losses. He notes that Conor McGregor lost a fight but was all class after the fact, and he retained his popularity. Gilbertti fears that fans will turn on Rousey if she’s not a good worker, especially if WWE is saving Asuka and her streak for Rousey.
