It was back in January that the WWE made one of their biggest signings when former MMA star Ronda Rousey made her way to the world of Sports Entertainment. Debuting at the Royal Rumble pay per view her arrival has so far been the biggest moment and surprise the company and pro wrestling has seen this year. Confronting arguably the top faces of the current women’s roster Rousey came face to face with Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, and of course Stephanie McMahon in what to some was a rather anticlimactically debut. The reaction, however, was huge and rightfully. This was possibly the biggest night for women’s wrestling we have ever seen; not only did the female talent main event a major pay per view hosting the first ever all women’s Royal Rumble match but the biggest signings the division had ever seen had made her presence felt.
So who is Ronda Rousey? Well, she is one of the biggest faces in the world of contact sport. Staring in movies, TV shows, interviews with the biggest names in entertainment and now a WWE superstar. Pushed as the badest women on the planet Rousey is sure one of the most dangerous superstars in the WWE today and quite frankly of all time. As of right now, we haven’t seen all too much of Rousey in the ring. Making her in-ring debut at Wrestlemania only a couple of months back she competed in what was hands down the best match of the night teaming up with Kurt Angle to take on the team of Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. Since then she has worked house shows here and there and is set to take on Nia Jax for the WWE RAW Women’s Championship at Money in the Bank. There has of course been many who have not agreed with the decision to book Rousey in a championship match so early into her WWE career but let’s be honest, it hasn’t come as a surprise.
With Rousey however, being such a major star, such a huge deal to the women’s division she should be booked and used very differently to her fellow stars. This isn’t something that will benefit only Rousey however. The women’s division is still crying out for something different and Ronda is just that.
As we have already touched on, the decision to have Rousey compete for the RAW women’s championship has divided opinion. Many of course expected to see her in the title picture much sooner than she should but Rousey is different. She isn’t supposed to be booked like the rest of the women because she isn’t the rest of the women. We haven’t seen her in a match on Monday night RAW, she hasn’t been given plenty of backstage on-screen work and the WWE are using a slightly different approach, however, the company right now are pretty much stuck in the middle and what needs to be established is what exactly Rousey’s role within the WWE and the women’s division actually is. Will she become just another one of the girls or is she here to raise the bar and bring something different.
Many expected Rousey to burst onto the scene work as the female Brock Lesnar in many ways. While it’s rather cliché the role is something that the division could really benefit from. A leader isn’t technically necessary but a talent who appears every now and then to cause sheer destruction is. That woman who stands out, who’s’ dangerous, unpredictable and unlike anyone else on the roster. Rousey ticks all those boxes. She has a different background, a different story to tell, and a reputation of the baddest women on the planet so book her like that.
In order for Rousey to be different, there are things that need to change and need to be implicated. The first is, of course, a more part-time contract. I love the idea of seeing Rousey compete regularly, but she isn’t. We see her every other week hitting one spot and/or cutting a promo/apart of a segment. It’s an odd position to have her in when instead what the WWE should be doing is, in fact, giving her a part-time role. This would be very similar to Lesnar. With Rousey set to soon challenge for the women’s championship her reign must be different. Having work just like every other superstar isn’t going to make her feel like that dangerous badass who brings fear to her opponents. Her title reign has got to bring something new to the division. While so many are always complaining about how little we see of the Universal Championship Rousey, however, being champion and not being on screen very often could actually benefit the women’s division. It creates an opportunity for the female talent to work harder towards a title shot and really earn it, a stronger story for the whole division, and possibly the chance to introduce tag team titles expanding what the women are doing. Not to mention that a more part-time role will stop her from becoming stale and boring and repetitive allowing a bigger and better build to her rumoured match with Charlotte Flair at next years Wrestlemania.
The second is, of course, a mouthpiece. Introducing the first Paul Heyman girl is something fans have wanted to see for quite some time now. The division is so stacked and there are plenty of potential candidates however none quite fit the bill as well as Rousey. Pairing her with Heyman will give her the edge and the boost she needs to feel like an even bigger deal and standout far greater pushing her as something different in the division.
And of course, the most important thing is establishing her role/position on the roster. We have talents such as Natalya who is there to help boost the careers of younger talent, Ruby Riott to bring a new look and Charlotte Flair a leader of a division so where does Ronda fit? Well, it’s simple, she is the destructive, unpredictable and dangerous force the company and the division need. She’s the rebel, she does things her way and creating more of a story between Rousey vs the Authority figure of the WWE could be another interesting root creating a female character with a purpose similar to Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Whether you love her or hate her Rousey is one of the most talked about stars on the wrestling scene today. Her arrival is exciting, sparks change and potential but it’s important she doesn’t become just another one of the girls. This is a brilliant opportunity for the WWE to create something different. To build depth, story, and excitement to the women’s division pushing Rousey and the movement in women’s wrestling to brand new heights.