By: Matthew Kink (@klinkmatt on Twitter)

1/27/2018

Ronda Rousey’s potential involvement in the Royal Rumble will speak volumes to her future. As most would guess, her future here could be a “one and done” adventure. On the other hand, as interviews with the UFC star have revealed, there is the possibility that she could be here for a while. She loves this company and pro-wrestling has influenced her for most of her career. As most of us know, her UFC career wouldn’t have happened unless Rousey had fallen in love with the WWE first.

And let’s be honest here, Rousey’s division in UFC (to my limited knowledge and experience with the company) has gotten much tougher. This is all attributed to what she brought to the game: a level of ability, confidence, and attitude that garnered legitimacy. UFC’s women’s division will continue to get stronger because of Rousey, but UFC’s continued gains in talent may have left Rousey in the dust.

For the WWE, there is a wealth of talent in the Women’s division, but a definite lack of mainstream connections. The reality shows on E! and shows coming to the USA network can help…a little, but the addition of Rousey will kick the door down on that issue. This, at the very least, will be a reflection of how important she can be for the company going forward.

I see there being six different ways of Rousey being involved in the Women’s Rumble. Each way could hint what her future with the company will be. As we watch the rumble unfold, the outcome will become more clear and we’ll have a better idea of what the future holds for Rousey and the WWE.

If Rousey is a(n):

Late entrant and wins the Rumble

• Okay…I’ve talked this over with my brother. At first I was being a little aggressive with my prediction here. If she wins the rumble, this will position her as a long time WWE Superstar. Why give her the distinction of winning if she’s just going to leave anyway? Ultimately, we’ll be looking at the beginning of a legit, “Lesnar status” career for Rousey going forward. Regardless of the Rumble win, she’ll go down at WrestleMania.
• Just to plant the seed, this could also be used as ONLY a way to make her a legit threat for the title. Think back to Batista coming back and needing to be put in the spotlight. Winning the Rumble and then “bidding adieu” is not unheard of. It’s just not what the division needs right now.
• The reason not to do this is the high risk of the unknown. Don’t throw all of your eggs in one basket.

Early Entrant, wins the Rumble

• The most unlikely of all of the options, this is Rousey owning the division and becoming a legit threat to Asuka, not to mention Sasha or Charlotte. She would own the division and shock the wrestling community. As great as that sounds for Rousey, it completely throws the division in shambles and would force the division to desperately cling to Rousey’s lengthy involvement. Don’t hold your breath for this to happen.

Late entrant, doesn’t win

• When you talk about odds of this actually being the end result, here is your winner. Rousey, regardless of her UFC status and lack of WWE training, will be a giant to take out of the Rumble. Look for this to create a hug “pop” for the fans and put Nia Jax or Asuka at the top of the food chain, IF one of them were to eliminate her. This also keeps much of the Rumble on focus: the current roster and all of the great work they have done to put the division where it is today.
• For Rousey, everything would point to a short contract. Make sure she doesn’t fight too long, because we need her for the WrestleMania card. Investments like this, in the sports entertainment world, have to be handled very delicately. Broken bones and torn muscles have reverberating effects to the stock value.

Early to mid-entrant, doesn’t win

• This is also a very likely option, but a very different Rousey result. This is the option that says “Rousey needs a stage to show what she can do”. If she lasts a while, she’ll have the chance to demonstrate her abilities, create a strong profile, and let the audience tell you what they think. Let her knock out Trish or Lita. Help her become a heel or a face. All of this points to seeing her as a long term investment. Figure out who she is before you finish the mold. Obviously her involvement means big things, but does she need an advocate like Paul Heyman (maybe even…Stephanie)? Or can she carry herself?

Comes to the ring, doesn’t wrestle

• This is another indication of a possible measurement for her long term possibilities. See the crowd’s reaction and gauge how big of a role she should have.
• More than likely, this should lead to a short term feud. Rousey comes in, gets in a spat with someone at ringside… and BOOM! we have a feud for WrestleMania. She could even get in a verbal spat with a group of wrestlers and have that lead to a large tag matchup.

No appearance

• Rousey not appearing would be wildly disappointing. Everything we’ve seen from TMZ to her own spoken words indicate we could see her this weekend. When? How? Where? We don’t know. This won’t quite feel like Rey Mysterio coming out at #30, but it’ll stink to hope she’s #30 (having not seen her yet) and have anyone else walk out. If this is the case, I pity that poor soul.
• This is the absolute worst outcome after all of the speculation. It can’t be said enough what a disappointment this would be. This outcome means we don’t have any definite plans yet. I would say it is still an open possibility that NXT is her route to the WWE if we don’t see her at the Rumble. Definitely not the most likely, but it’s in the cards.

Very interesting possibilities lie ahead. Let us know what you think in the comments or feel free to say on Twitter (@BODPodcast).