Moments after her thrilling in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans on Sunday, former UFC champion Ronda Rousey revealed she has finally come to terms with the pair of devastating knockout defeats which ended her mixed martial arts career. 

Rousey, 31, who teamed with Kurt Angle to defeat Stephanie McMahon and Triple H in a WrestleMania instant classic which had the crowd of over 78,000 eating out of its hand, spoke exclusively after the card with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. 

"It was me versus the world in an individual sport," Rousey said. "I thought I would never say this, but I'm so happy I lost those fights [to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes] because it led me here. This is so worth it."

After a 2008 Olympic bronze medal in judo and a 12-0 start to her MMA career, Rousey embarked on a meteoric rise to become a household name and the biggest star in UFC. But the fallout from her first defeat in 2015 saw her contemplating suicide and actively avoiding media, save for hand-picked and screened scenarios. 

Any time Rousey did speak publicly about the way her UFC career ended, including during the promotional media tour WWE set up ahead of Sunday's card, she was unable to reference defeat without becoming emotional or angry. 

"Everything really does happen for a reason," Rousey said. "I'm just so grateful. I thought I never would be [grateful] for [the losses], but time is a great teacher. I'm just really, really glad I gave it time instead of giving up and feeling it was the end of the world. 

"There's so many people who encounter tragedies who feel like the world and time won't heal it. But all I can say to those people is: Just give it time, even if you think time can't heal it. You never know what will happen and where it will lead you. Every missed opportunity is a blessing in disguise. I really believe it now."

What likely helped Rousey find closure was how genuinely she was received by the WrestleMania crowd. After a two-month build which featured equal moments of highs and lows as Rousey continued to learn on the job, the "Rowdy" one looked every bit of the star WWE had promoted her as with the crowd showering her with love. 

"I owe the WWE Universe an apology, because I thought they were going to boo me out of the building from Day 1," Rousey said. "They really accepted me from Day 1. Hopefully, I satisfied a lot of skeptics tonight. I underestimated how kind the WWE Universe would be. I thought any outsiders would be shunned. I was expecting to get shunned and to have to battle to be accepted. I worked my ass off to pay respect to what's so important to them, and hopefully they saw that tonight."

Rousey, who has largely avoided public comment about the current UFC women's division, surprised fans and critics alike late Saturday when she shared praise on social media following Rose Namajunas' victory over Joanna Jedrzejczyk in their title rematch at UFC 223.  

"Oh my God, I'm so proud of them," Rousey said on Sunday. "They're such great representatives of the sport. They're what that sport really needs -- women like them. It's just like a great sign for the future. Every sport has its peaks and valleys, but I think they're a real testament to the staying power of the UFC."