Just to be completely clear, I have no idea about Ronda Rousey’s status with WWE beyond the stories we’ve reported here on Cageside Seats. I also don’t feel particularly passionate one way or the other about her showing up and getting a spot in the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble match, or on the WrestleMania 34 card.
So I’ve got no skin the game here, and no clue if the former UFC champion has inked a deal with Triple H and is working us to keep her debut a surprise, or if she really will be focusing on her Hollywood career for the foreseeable future, and filming Mile 22 with Mark Wahlberg well into next week.
But I do love game of cat and mouse she and WWE seem to be playing with wrestling fans. It’s very ‘Reality’ Era, and it has me and others reading way too much into her every move. And social media post.
Take these, for instance. Two Instagrams in two days from South America, on an account which prior to that had four in two months:
Now, most people take and share more pictures and video when they’re traveling, or doing something cool like working on a big movie with major stars. This is probably competely unrelated to her future wrestling career, and everything Rousey and WWE have been saying is likely true.
BUT... if you did wanted to ensure a big surprise that would generate a ton of media attention to an already sold out event (therefore, one that doesn’t need to advertise Ronda in advance), you might engage in a little misdirection like this, right? Especially if you were a big wrestling nerd like Rousey who’s talked about wanting to surprise “real fans” in the past? And she could be in Colombia up until Sunday morning and still conceivably make it to Philadelphia for the Jan. 28 pay-per-view (PPV).
Hmmmm...
What do you think, Cagesiders? Is Ronda taking a page out of The Book of Jericho, or is all as it appears on the surface here?