The last time anyone saw Ronda Rousey in a WWE ring, she had her shoulders pinned to the mat in the main event of WrestleMania 35 in what served as the coronation of Becky Lynch as the top star in the company.
According to a report by Sean Ross Sapp at Fightful Select (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), The Baddest Woman on the Planet is training for a return to McMahonland.
Her return would instantly enhance a Raw women’s division in desperate need of star power and credible challengers to Asuka’s women’s title.
Name Value
Fans unfamiliar with pro wrestling know who Rousey is.
Furthermore, she has real fight credibility, thanks to her dominance in the Octagon. Star power and reputation was essential to Lynch’s journey to the top of WWE in 2019 and helped hammer home that The Man was now the woman in professional wrestling.
Rousey’s contributions from that perspective are invaluable and would be absolutely key to the reinvention of a Raw women’s division that has undergone quite a few changes since she last set foot inside a squared circle.
Beginning with its face, the current women’s champion, Asuka.
A Battle of the Badasses
There is no denying the talent on the Raw women’s roster. From Nia Jax to Peyton Royce to Lana, all are valuable assets but have not necessarily been utilized in a manner that elevates the most prestigious prize the brand has to offer.
As a result, Asuka has been left to wallow in mediocrity, her title reign impacted by the lack of credible challengers to her throne. Rousey’s return would instantly provide her with a fellow badass that fans could believe would be able to defeat her and take the title.
Furthermore, it would provide fans a fresh match that they have not seen in any grand or spectacular form to this point.
Rousey previously ran through the Raw women’s division over the course of her 231 days as champion. She defeated everyone from Jax to Alexa Bliss to Natalya, but she never tapped out or pinned The Empress of Tomorrow, a fact that could easily add gravity to a potential showdown.
Theirs is a match that could also realistically headline a pay-per-view event, something Asuka has not had the opportunity to do since she made history in the first Women’s Royal Rumble match.
Coincidentally, it was the same night Rousey debuted, and she immediately stole Asuka’s spotlight.
A potential feud writes itself while Asuka instantly sees her title reign elevated in importance by working with someone with the crossover, pop culture appeal of Rousey.
Elevating Others and Rekindling Friendships
Naomi, Dana Brooke, Mandy Rose, Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce are all women who would benefit from working with Rousey, too. Even if they were involved in one-week one-offs, sharing the ring with Rousey would provide them an additional spotlight.
And then there is the elephant in the room: her very real friendship with Shayna Baszler and a potential Four Horsewomen reunion.
We saw our first glimpses of Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir on Raw Underground, and Baszler has been wreaking havoc since her main roster call-up earlier this year. Putting those three dominant forces with Rousey and letting them run through the competition, thus setting up a high-profile showdown with a collection of WWE Superstars, would provide the Raw brand the type of heated women’s rivalry it has not seen since Lynch and Charlotte Flair beat the hell out of each other for months in 2018.
With endless storyline possibilities, the likelihood that all would benefit from her return to the squared circle and the women’s title would be elevated as a result, Rousey’s return to WWE would be more than welcome.
