We’ve pretty much known something was happening since the reports started coming out of July’s Mae Young Classic (MYC) taping at Full Sail Live, but as we get closer and closer to next week’s live Finale and beyond, WWE is making it pretty clear they’re in the Ronda Rousey business.
Is that a good idea, now that her undefeated UFC mystique is gone and Hollywood seems to have passed her by, too?
It really doesn’t matter, because when Rousey was at her hottest, she didn’t have a lot time or even freedom to do much for WWE beyond her WrestleMania 31 appearance and the occassional “famous fan in the front row” spot which set up that moment with The Rock, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. Now she does. She’s still a well-known name and a lifelong fan of pro wrestling who’s willing to do business with the McMahons, so...
Building off a couple of quick moments at the MYC where Ronda and her crew, who WWE calls “the MMA Four Horsewomen”, talked trash with Bayley, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch of “WWE’s Four Horsewomen“, the company is prepping us for whatever will happen when most of those same ladies are in Las Vegas next Tuesday.
In addition to the announcement that Rousey will be on the red carpet before the Sept. 12 Finale, they also made the program the focus of this week’s Cathy Kelley video (embedded above). While the contents don’t really match the title, that WWE calls the clip “Ronda Rousey challenged Charlotte Flair and we are so ready” is pretty telling.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required but recommended), that’s one possibility for a future match, too.
First, it does appear we’re headed toward a Survivor Series Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen match. Sasha Banks’ absence from things so far is curious (she’s advertised for the New Zealand and Australia tour which leaves right after Raw on Monday, so she’ll likely miss the next showdown, too), but even with Rousey training with Brian Kendrick, her first bout probably won’t be a one-on-one match. Even if it’s not four-on-four, some kind of team outing should be expected.
Beyond that, Dave Meltzer says word is it will be a singles match for Ronda at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans next Spring. The two possible opponents he’s heard are Charlotte or Stephanie.
While the hype so far points to Flair, and a battle of Horsewomen would continue that set-up, Rousey does have history with McMahon from Santa Clara and, well, it’s Steph. That match has been discussed since 2015; it’ll be pretty surprising if she’s not involved in some way, even if as something other than a wrestler.
Ronda is technically still under contract to UFC, but with President Dana White on record as predicting she’s retired, that probably isn’t the impediment it once was.
So... you down, scripted fight fans?