Former Champion Feels That Ronda Rousey To The WWE Has ‘Lost Its Stock’
For the past few years, Ronda Rousey has been a sought-after commodity for the WWE to acquire. Since dominating the mixed martial arts circuit for many years, her value continued to increase ever since her fast victories against most of her competitors. Rousey even made an appearance in Santa Clara, California, at WrestleMania 31. During the event, she was sitting ringside while Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were outnumbering The Rock. Rock then proceeded to walk over to Rousey to join him in the ring to even out the numbers. Rousey would even get physical with Stephanie and Triple H, hip-tossing Triple H to the mat.
After this segment, discussions increased regarding Rousey joining the WWE. However, she still had interest in continuing her MMA career and competing for UFC.
On December 30, 2016, Rousey was pummeled by UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes in the first round. This was after her shocking loss 13 months prior to Holly Holm at UFC 193. Rousey was already battling depression after the loss to Holm, but was thrust right back into the title picture. Following the loss to Nunes, it has been widely speculated that Rousey has fought her last match for UFC. Conversely, this also widened the door for an official WWE debut.
While this may be the expectation, the are some who do not believe that it is as buzzworthy as it was at one point in time. During his latest X-Pac 12360 podcast, Sean Waltman shared his thoughts on the importance of Rousey to the WWE actually “losing its stock.”
“It’ll still be a big deal if Ronda Rousey shows up in WWE. The stock has just plummeted, though. I’m just being honest. Just being honest. That stock has to come back up a little bit. Actually, what may bring her stock back up is a run in the WWE. Maybe. I’d love to see it, too. I think she’d be very good.”
During the show, there was a booking idea of having Nia Jax run roughshod over the women’s division, and be champion for a long period of time. All of a sudden, when there appears to be no one else left for Jax, Rousey shows up and tries to dethrone her. Waltman immediately shut that idea down, saying that Jax would “kill” Rousey. Asuka was also mentioned, but glossed over. Everyone on-set came to the conclusion that if any of these proposed storylines occurred after WrestleMania 31, it would have skyrocketed. However, over two years since her last WWE appearance, and two straight UFC losses later, it just is not as special as it once was.
Rousey in the WWE would still undoubtedly spark interest around numerous media outlets, especially since she has recently been in the news regarding her new engagement. Both Stephanie McMahon and Triple H have publicly stated that there is a significant level of interest for Rousey, and that they would love to have her as a member of the WWE roster.
Rousey certainly would not be the first MMA star to witness success in the pro wrestling arena. UFC legend Dan Severn was greatly successful in the National Wrestling Alliance, holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for over four years from 1995-1999. Ken Shamrock was able to have a successful career in the WWE, being involved in one of the most memorable matches in WrestleMania history, Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13, as well as capturing both the WWE Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships. Based on these and other names, Rousey should blend in well with the professional wrestling scene, and should receive immediate success upon her debut in the WWE.
[Featured Image By WWE]
