(NewsNation) — Professional wrestler and mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey says she got a look into the darker side of World Wrestling Entertainment’s “company culture” in the years she worked there, detailing her allegations of an experience she had with fellow wrestler Drew Gulak.
Rousey, 37, in an interview Tuesday night on NewsNation’s “Banfield,” recalled a time when she was waiting to talk to WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque, who performed as “Triple H,” in the writers room.
While standing there with several other WWE employees, Rousey said wrestler Drew Gulak, who Rousey said was “barely an acquaintance,” came up to her and grabbed the string of her sweatpants.
“Nobody around me acted as if it was abnormal,” she said. “All the guys around me were like, ‘This is just part of the day.'”
Rousey said she confronted Gulak later, telling him that if he ever did something like that to her or another woman again, “We’re going to have a problem.”
Gulak backpedaled and thanked her for calling him out, but the experience still put a sour taste in her mouth.
“I’m like, ‘If this guy is coming up to me and doing this kind of stuff to me, while there’s other people around, what’s happening to other girls when they’re not in a hallway?’” Rousey said.
On Wednesday, Gulak responded to Rousey’s recollection of the interaction and said it was an accident and that he apologized to her.
“Backstage at a WWE event in 2022, I saw Ronda talking with a group in the hallway. I stopped to say hi and shake all their hands, and in an attempt to shake her hand, I accidentally touched her drawstring. Complete accident, and one that I had apologized to her for the mishap,” Gulak posted on X, the former Twitter.
Rousey shared her experience amid recent sexual assault and trafficking allegations against World Wrestling Entertainment founder Vince McMahon. Though she said she’s “not surprised,” Rousey said she never personally experienced sexual misconduct from McMahon.
Dr. J. Martha Hart, the widow of the late wrestler Owen Hart, who died performing a stunt during a WWE pay-per-view, also said she was not surprised by the allegations.
“I was not surprised when I heard there was yet another lawsuit,” Hart said during an appearance on “Banfield.” “Over the years, the WWE has had many lawsuits, and they’ve had a lot of bad press.”
“It is absolutely horrific. … The level of wickedness that’s described is beyond the pale in that complaint, and anyone with a shred of humanity would find the indignant acts just incomprehensible,” Hart added.
NewsNation reached out to WWE for comment Wednesday morning but did not immediately hear back.
McMahon and WWE have been under scrutiny since he resigned as chairman of TKO Group in January after a federal lawsuit filed a by former employee at the company’s headquarters said he sexually exploited and attempted to traffic her to other WWE employees.
Janel Grant, who alleges years of sexual abuse by McMahon, claims she was coerced into writing a loving letter to him, the New York Post reported.
Grant filed a lawsuit against McMahon just before his resignation. The suit, filed in Connecticut federal court in January, accuses McMahon of sexually abusing her, including an incident in May 2020 where he allegedly defecated on her head during an encounter between them and another person.
The next month, The Wall Street Journal reported federal authorities were investigating the allegations against McMahon, which he has denied.
Rousey, who wrote about the allegations against McMahon in her new memoir, “Our Fight,” told NewsNation that the reason nobody else is speaking out is because they fear “negative repercussions” from the WWE.
“Everybody’s being held hostage by their careers, but since I don’t plan on going back there unless they make some very major changes, I don’t really care if they have me back or not,” Rousey said.
“I can wrestle wherever I want to wrestle, and the truth should be told,” she said.
Some former WWE personalities have stepped forward to discuss allegations against McMahon and the WWE.
Former WWE superstar Ryback Reeves, who performed as “Ryback,” sent NewsNation an exclusive statement, calling McMahon “evil” and said “a lot more is going to come out.”
“Vince McMahon … will go down as one of the most evil humans to have ever existed. And there is far worse to come out on him and many others still in the company who also knew of much of his activity. It’s all going to come out if they keep looking. They’ve hidden everything with nondisclosure agreements,” he said.
His response is similar to reactions from other former WWE wrestlers.
Former WWE wrestler Maria Kanellis spoke out on social media and said she hopes “justice is served” in the civil suit.
“Many of us experienced or heard rumors of different levels of evil for years. Some tried to speak up to build momentum to change the culture in WWE. Many times we’ve been called bitter or crazy. Others have been paralyzed by fear,” Kanellis said.