Ronda Rousey used her latest project to pay tribute to Paul Heyman.
Rousey spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard to promote her new graphic novel, Expecting The Unexpected. Rousey credited Heyman for helping her through the process of writing her story.
Fans might also notice that one of the characters on the book’s cover bears a striking resemblance to Paul Heyman. Ronda Rousey told WrestleZone that it was an intentional decision, confirming he “very unsubtly” inspired the main antagonist.
“There’s very purposeful nod in his direction. I did write a character that I just pictured his cadence,” Rousey explained. “The way he talks, and the way that his charisma and the way his emotions could flip from one side to the other that can feel unsettling in a way. I definitely did some dream casting because originally, I thought I was going to be able to take this to WWE Studios when they were actually doing stuff.
“I was like, ‘Oh, well, I could write something.’ If they could do The Marine 7, then I could be able to bring them something that I feel like is even better quality of writing that they would be able to do,” Rousey said. “So originally I was dream casting out of the WWE roster, so then, then I had to alter things when we ended up going another way.
“But I did tell Heyman, ‘Listen, you have to be this character. Whatever gets made, even if it’s just in the comic. it has to be you,’” Rousey added. “So that’s my way to give a tip of the hat in my thanks to him.”
The project is live on Kickstarter and already reached its funding goal. Check out our full interview with Ronda Rousey below:
Read More: Ronda Rousey Says Her Last WWE Run Was Needlessly Stressful, She Took Refuge In Writing
