Rousey Hosts "SNL," But Show's Writers Criticized For Providing Poor Material

UFC fighter RONDA ROUSEY hosted NBC’s “SNL” this weekend and opened with a monologue set up like a fight, with a coach, announcers and rounds included. Rousey in her monologue said, “I am so excited to be here, because it's the first time I'll be live on television without getting punched in the face. It's also the first time I'm talking to my fans since my loss to HOLLY HOLM in November. Which, by the way, was a fight Holly deserved to win and I just wanted to take a minute to sincerely congratulate her. That's enough! All those who are worried I'm not ready to host the show because I, like, have brain damage, relax! I'm good. Besides, everything I need is on cue cards” (“Saturday Night Live,” NBC, 1/23). In Las Vegas, Adam Hill wrote the monologue was the "highlight of the night" for Rousey, as she "perfectly delivered an intentionally bad joke and even took a quick moment to congratulate" Holm. Rousey was "actually pretty good throughout the show when she was allowed to perform," though that "wasn't very often." She was often "reduced to supporting roles in sketches or even given just a line or two." Rousey gave an "adequate performance with the material provided and didn't have any major gaffes" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/25). ESPNW.com's Matt Eisenberg wrote outside of the monologue, Rousey's "big skit was a digital short that involved her beating up high school bully VANESSA BAYER and throat punching BECK BENNETT, the school jock she had a crush on but was betrayed by" (ESPNW.com, 1/24).

GOOD NIGHT FOR UFC, BAD NIGHT FOR WRITERS: YAHOO SPORTS’ Kevin Iole wrote Rousey's appearance on "SNL" brought "great mainstream exposure to Rousey and her sport, and that at the end of the day is what matters.” Saturday was “another victory for Rousey and, by extension, the UFC.” Meanwhile, the show’s writers “were clearly the losers on this night.” They “gave Rousey very little to work with and used her far less than they do most hosts.” Rousey “appeared comfortable and didn’t seem particularly nervous.” She “delivered what few lines she had reasonably well, but the issue was that the writers elected to use her as background scenery and didn’t write her many decent jokes” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/24). ROLLING STONE's Ryan McGee wrote some "lackluster material and an incredibly quiet live crowd" resulted in an episode in which the cast was "visibly sweating to get anything approximating a laugh from the audience." Instead of tapping into Rousey's "natural presence and charisma, almost every sketch had her acting meek (when she actually appeared at all, which wasn’t much) (ROLLINGSTONE.com, 1/24).