'Rowdy' Ronda Rousey relives an intense moment in ad for WWE 2K19

Ad sees female wrestling star take on the legacy of her idol Roddy Piper

Published On
Jul 24, 2018

Editor's Pick

Female wrestler "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey relives an intense moment from her real-life story in a surprisingly moving spot for the WWE 2K video game franchise.

The film sees Rousey walk into a locker room and hang the iconic leather jacket of her idol and namesake, WWE Hall of Famer "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. As she stares at the jacket, she begins to recall a conversation she and Piper had several years earlier. "The only thing I want for you is for you to be as successful as you want to be and as happy as you possibly can," Piper says. "You're going to give so many people hope."

The voiceover was taken from a 2015 "Piper's Pit" podcast conducted shortly before Piper's untimely death later that year. In the audio clip, Piper explains to Rousey why he was passing the torch of the "Rowdy" name to her. Rousey dons the jacket and walks off, ready to face her opponent in the ring. The ad ends by telling us that viewers who pre-order WWE 2K19 can "play as Ronda Rousey."

Created by BarrettSF,and directed by Wolfbergs and Jake Banks via Golden, the spot stems from a real-life story. The Piper family had passed the jacket on to Rousey prior to her WWE debut earlier this year. Altogether style of the ad, and the backstory, reminds us of work for the likes of Nike or Under Armour, making it unexpected for the category.

The ad broke on WWE's Monday Night Raw telecast earlier this week and will air nationally on WWE programming, along with social platforms, as pre-roll video on WWE and on Google's True View ad platform.

Credits

Date
Jul 24, 2018
Marketing Coordinator :
Mitchell Jagodinski
Associate Brand Manager :
Robert Hearon
Associate Product Manager :
Ramon Aranda
Senior Brand Manager :
Greg Zale
Director, Brand Marketing :
Bryce Yang
VP of Marketing :
Chris Snyder
Post Producer :
Kevin Gallagher
Line Producer :
Rick Brown
Executive Producer :
Matthew Marquis
VFX / Animation :
Rachel Arnold
VFX / Animation :
Luke Yoo
Colorist :
Luis Silva
Editor :
Volkert Besseling
Creative Director :
Jake Banks
Director :
Jake Banks
Director :
Wolfbergs
Production Company :
Golden
Account Supervisor :
Julia Ortinez-Hansen
Account Director :
William de Ryk
Managing Director, Founder :
Patrick Kelly
Producer :
Tom Sann
Head of Production :
Conor Duignan
Associate Creative Director :
Meredith Karr
Associate Creative Director :
Jen Hart
Creative Director :
Todd Eisner
Executive Creative Director :
Jamie Barrett
Agency :
barrettSF
Brand :
WWE 2K19

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