In PEOPLE’s exclusive sneak peek at the latest installment of Biography, a new A&E docuseries showcasing the stories of WWE superstars, former WWE champion Rousey recalls when she got the “blessing” from Roddy Piper to use his “Rowdy” namesake.
“It’s surreal being here without him,” Rousey says of being at the tournament in the clip.
The video then transitions to a recent interview with Rousey, 34, in which she describes the moment she met with Piper about wanting to use his WWE name.
“When I first started doing MMA I was trying to think of a fight name and of course the first thing that everybody thought of was like ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey,” she explains. “And it’s like I know, but it’s like, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper already has that and I don’t want to steal it.”
“Until I happened to see the ‘Rowdy’ one and got his blessing and he was very sweet about it,” she remembers. “He was like, ‘Sure kid, no problem. Better do the name proud’ or something like that.”
“Thank you so much for everything. Thank you for trusting me,” Rousey tells Toombs.
“Roddy would dig that you have such continued success and he couldn’t be prouder, I’m sure, of your representation of the rowdiness,” Toombs replies as the two begin to hug. “No one can do it better.”
The episode, directed by Emmy and Peabody Award winner Joe Lavine, is part of A&E Network and WWE Studios’ all-new Sunday night programming partnership.
The 10-week programming block features eight original two-hour documentaries under the award-winning Biography banner.
Along with Piper, the specials will highlight various WWE superstars including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Booker T, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Ultimate Warrior and Mick Foley
