Ever since Ronda Rousey’s much ballyhooed UFC comeback went down in flames back in December, there’s been a lot of internet chatter on whether she might return for another appearance or three with the WWE. The last time she appeared in the squared circlewas WrestleMania 31 in 2015, and that earned her a Slammy for the best ‘This is Awesome’ moment of the year.
Opinions seem to be divided over whether she would garner the same crowd reaction if she stepped back into the ring after her two last devastating performances in the Octagon, but as far as Paul Heyman is concerned, it wouldn’t be an issue at all.
“I think the WWE audience would embrace Ronda Rousey with open arms,” he said on an episode of the Fight Society podcast. “She is … just her name recognition alone is huge. It doesn’t matter, her past two experiences in the UFC. All that matters is if she got involved in a story that people could relate to and sink their teeth into and get excited about.
“I would personally pay to see Charlotte versus Ronda Rousey. I would totally pay to Stephanie McMahon versus Ronda Rousey for a completely different reason, but I digress. I think Ronda Rousey doing anything in WWE is a natural fit. I’d love to see it, and would be happy to discuss with her all the benefits that she could enure by being a Paul Heyman girl.”
Heyman followed that up by salivating at the matchmaking opportunities Rousey could present with the current crop of women on the WWE roster.
“There are other women in WWE, not just Charlotte, that could probably provide a compelling main event against Ronda Rousey,” he said. “Look at Nia Jax. Talk about someone that could truly make you beleive she could kick Ronda Rousey’s ass. Nia Jax is an impressive performer and a hell of an athlete as well. So it’s not like Charolotte is the only one capable of being paired up with Ronda Rousey.
“There are others as well. The women’s roster in WWE right now is unparalleled in the history of pro wrestling or sports entertainment, there’s never been a women’s roster like this. There’s never been talent depth like this, ever. So it’s an extrordinary time if you’re a fan of the athletic presentation that can be brought forth on a WWE program, it’s an exraordinary time for the women.”
And bringing Ronda Rousey into the WWE could give women’s wrestling the same boost it gave women’s MMA. While Rousey wasn’t the first WMMA star by any means, she was the one that took women’s fighting mainstream and convinced the UFC that they belonged in the Octagon. Who knows what she could do for the WWE, even if she only participated in a few story angles a year for a year or two.
