On Sunday night, Ronda Rousey made her debut in WWE at the Royal Rumble – followed shortly after by the news that she’d signed up as a full-time superstar. Despite having lost her last two UFC fights, Rousey still remains the most high-profile female MMA fighter of all time, and her career change is a massive moment for WWE.
Everyone's eyes are on #WrestleMania 34…
…including @RondaRousey's!!! #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/ynkps4gqx5
— WWE (@WWE) January 29, 2018
American wrestling doesn’t necessarily have the best track record with big name former MMA stars coming into sports entertainment – guys like Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock had their moments, but Rousey’s crossover appeal is far, far bigger than those guys, and with the WWE’s women’s division currently at the highest level it’s ever been at, there is so much potential for dynamite here. Here’s what we think WWE should do with her.
Work with an experienced vet
Ronda Rousey has everything she needs to be great professional wrestler: the physical ability, the charisma, the mic skills, and an air of legitimacy. But let’s be real, she’s not even had a match yet. She’s instantly become one of the biggest, if not the biggest, name on the WWE roster, but in her early matches it’ll be vital that they put her with a solid hand that who can carry her through her first few months. Someone like Becky Lynch, a 15 year vet who’s wrestled around the world, would be the perfect first opponent.
Team up with Paul Heyman
If they’re going to portray Rousey like a legitimate, all-conquering MMA destroyer, WWE should just give her the same treatment they gave Brock Lesnar on his return – Paul Heyman as her ‘advocate’ and mouthpiece, letting her just look cool and break people in half. Plus, Heyman’s gotten a tad complacent doing the same Lesnar promo once every two months, so he could do with a shake-up as well. Hell, let’s even get a 2K18 Dangerous Alliance going.
Not go straight for the title
Rousey’s status means she’s going to get pushed to the top of the card, ahead of girls who’ve toiled away for years. There’s plenty arguments to say there’s nothing wrong with this – most of them monetary – but pushing her right into the title picture without even have wrestled a single damn match kinda ruins wrestling’s legitimacy. After decades of ‘Divas’’ in bra & panties matches, WWE have finally built up a strong women’s division – don’t let Rouser’s arrival overshadow all that. Get her in some big special attraction matches to prove her wealth before having her go after the belts.
Have an absolute barnburner with Asuka
Asuka is a terrifying kabuki-mask wearing Japanese lady who murders opponents, dresses like a scary 80s businesswoman outside of the ring, and remains undefeated in over 500 days in WWE. She also used to be a video games journalist. Ronda Rousey is the most high-profile female MMA fighter ever. She also used to be a moderator of a Pokemon forum. Let’s have them tear it down at some point down the line. Preferably feuding over a Nintendo DS or something.
Do a WWE Studios film
Ok, not everyone is as big a fan of WWE Studio’s delightful brand of straight-to-DVD action movies as I am. So this might not be a popular choice. But after lighting up the screen in masterpieces like Fast & Furious 7 and Expendables 3, I *need* to see Ronda Rousey team with The Miz to fight terrorists (played by, I dunno, Breezango and R-Truth?) in The Marine 7.
Be a pro wrestler, not a fake shoot fighter
The history of professional wrestling is littered with promoters bring in ‘legit’ tough guys to make the show seem more real – and it’s basically always awful. Wrestling doesn’t need to look like real fighting, it needs to be the wild and wacky spectacle that it is. Ronda Rousey seems to be a real wrestling fans, so let her embrace what WWE is and not try to be something it is not. Please, no two minute match of just armbars that’s pretending to be UFC, like those late-period Brock Lesnar matches where he just spams the same move over and over again.
