‘Total Divas’ Season 9, Episode 1: “The Baddest Women on the Planet”

Total Divas returned for its ninth season last night, and with it, came the usual drama… as well as the introduction of its two newest cast members: Sonya Deville and “The Baddest Woman on the Planet” Ronda Rousey.

We’ve been awaiting the official debut of Ronda on Total Divas for a while now—in case you missed it, she made sporadic guest appearances in the previous season—and it did not disappoint. Although, it was slightly jarring to watch Ronda (along with Travis, Jessamyn, and Marina) living the serene life at Browsey Acres while the rest of the Total Divas cast were trying to deal with the fact that Nia Jax apparently hates Carmella’s guts.

As far as Ronda’s role in the season premiere went, a lot of her time in the episode was a proper introduction to the Total Divas audience, informing them of her pre-WWE resume, her general attitude on life, and the fact that she is, in fact, “The Baddest Woman on the Planet.” From the moment the episode began, it was clear Ronda Rousey wouldn’t be here for your standard Total Divas fare, as the opening with extensive b-roll footage of bustling “Southern California” was all a means to the far less frantic pace over in the world of Browsey Acres.

By this time, Ronda had fallen even more in love with the world of WWE and professional wrestling, having extended her contract with the company and (as this episode showed) just faced off against Sasha Banks at the Royal Rumble. But as she had also planned to start the next phase of her life with Travis, she was also frustrated with all the talk and rumors about their life. Specifically, all the talk and rumors about her uterus.

Meanwhile, Nia Jax called Carmella “fake” and a bad worker—eventually to her face—which was pretty much the polar opposite of Ronda cooking deer bacon for Travis, Jessamyn, and Marina. Like I said: slightly jarring.