Possible Plans For Ronda Rousey And Her WWE Debut Next Year Revealed
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is close to signing a contract with the WWE. It has been rumored for quite some time now that Rousey is headed to the WWE and many are anticipating her wrestling debut. The latest backstage news has revealed the possible plans for Ronda and her debut next year.
As reported by Martin Rogers of USA Today, Rousey is finalizing a deal with the WWE, and she will be announced as an official WWE superstar soon. The source was two people close to Rousey, but her move to professional wrestling has been speculated for some time. After her second straight devastating loss inside the Octagon last year, there were rumors that Rousey will make a move to the WWE.
In August, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported that Rousey has started training as a professional wrestler in California with current WWE superstar Brian Kendrick. It was followed by an appearance in the Mae Young Classic wherein she supported her friend and fellow MMA Four Horsewomen member Shayna Baszler.
There were even reports of Rousey spending some time at the WWE Performance Center, and it has led many people to believe that she is WWE-bound. The WWE has a growing women’s division to go along with an increasing female audience. There is no better draw than Rousey, who was one of the biggest stars in UFC history before she lost to Holly Holm in 2015 and Amanda Nunes last year.
According to Blake Oestriecher of Forbes, Ronda Rousey could sign a part-time deal with the WWE just like Brock Lesnar. One of the possible plans for Rousey is a match with Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34, which was teased at the Mae Young Classic. Another potential match for Rousey is an MMA Four Horsewomen vs. WWE Four Horsewomen match. There is still no confirmation from the side of Rousey or even the WWE but fans should expect it to happen before WrestleMania 34.
Meanwhile, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling News Observer (h/t Sportskeeda) speculated that the WWE might be preparing a bigtime matchup between Rousey and undefeated superstar Asuka sometime next year. Meltzer noted that Asuka’s recent change of finishing move to an armbar is interesting.
“Given Asuka switching from the chicken wing Asuka Lock to the armbar, and Rousey as the legit armbar master, and then giving Asuka the shooter push and protecting her so much, that would seem to be a natural matchup down the line,” Meltzer said.
However, it should be noted that these are still purely speculative at the moment and nothing has been confirmed. Besides the report by USA Today, UFC president Dana White and Ronda Rousey’s longtime friend Gene Le Bell have hinted that “Rowdy” is indeed done with mixed martial arts and she’s onto the next phase of her career.
