Is the WWE world ready for former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey?
Last month it was reported that Rousey’s official debut into the WWE ring could be a reality soon, with sources claiming she is “finalizing details of her move to WWE.”
In 2015, Rousey made an appearance alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at WrestleMania 31, foreshadowing a potential bout in a WWE event down the road. Since then, WWE and Rousey fans have been eager for the highly skilled athlete and entertainer to make another appearance, and they may soon get their wish.
Rousey has been a fan of the WWE for years, and after losing her belt as well as her follow-up fight in the octagon, everyone felt that her MMA career had come to a close (though there has not been an official announcement made from either the UFC or Rousey yet).
While the former champ has kept busy since then, both in her personal and professional life, it feels now more than ever that Rousey will be stepping into the WWE ring. As she did for the UFC, Rousey would greatly impact the women division in the organization, and could inspire some massive shows for the company.
Ronda Rousey and Triple H meeting in California
CBS Sports also confirmed that Rousey has been spotted participating in wrestling training in California in recent months. While promoting her new website, RondaRousey.com, Rousey released a video which revealed footage of her and Natalya, a former WWE champion and current star in SmackDown, training together.
Just last week, the MMA fighter was spotted at an LA restaurant with WWE star and former champion, Triple H (Paul Michael Levesque), who happens to be the Executive Vice President and helps to shape “the creative direction and storylines of WWE’s programming.”
When asked about the meeting with Rousey, Triple H confirmed to the New York Post that the two had caught up at dinner and that the organization had no announcements “at this time,” but that Rousey is “interested in what we do, she loves it,” and in turn, the WWE is “interested in her as a human being.” Triple H also said Rousey is an “intense, incredible athlete.” With the mutual love affair between Rousey being a fan of the WWE and the huge boost the organization would obviously get from having her in their ring, it would be wild to assume that we won’t see her taking on WWE stars this year.
Rousey at Royal Rumble?
Some experts are speculating it could even happen as soon as this month, and are saying to keep an eye on the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on January 28, which will feature “the first women’s Royal Rumble match with 30 participants.” The winner will then receive a WrestleMania championship match. Could the former UFC champion make her highly anticipated debut in the WWE at this big event? It is certainly tailor-made for Rousey, and would be a great way to catapult her into a championship match that fans would be dying to see.
