There is an interesting rumor going around about Ronda Rousey’s WrestleMania 35 opponent. For months, there has been speculation that the RAW Women’s Champion was on a collision course with SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte. Wrestling pundits and fans alike have speculated that this bout could be the first women’s match to ever headline a WrestleMania.
Rousey vs. Charlotte could still very well happen. However, another name has surfaced as a potential challenger to Ronda Rousey on April 7th, 2019. It would be the culmination of a longtime feud that even UFC could not make happen. The latest rumored opponent for Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania is none other than UFC Women’s Featherweight champion Cris Cyborg. Cyborg called in to Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show and commented on the possibility of working with Rousey at WrestleMania.
Cyborg Call In
Ariel Helwani broached the subject of WWE wanting to bring Cyborg in to work with Ronda Rousey. “The WWE are considering trying to sign you to have you compete against Ronda Rousey at Wrestlemania 35 next year in New Jersey, is this accurate?”
Cyborg was cryptic in her response, but seemed to be open to the idea, “I don’t know, I just heard this news today. If it is happening, maybe we can give all the fans the fight they’ve never seen…I think it would be great for all the fans that would like to watch but I’m not sure about that 100%, but…I’ll talk to my manager and see what’s going to be if its a good thing or not. I don’t know. Maybe it happens, maybe not.”
Cyborg vs. Rousey at WrestleMania?
Here’s Cyborg’s response to the rumors.
Full interview: https://t.co/0zGcD5HXu7 pic.twitter.com/235KMV9hPx
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 18, 2018
The topic ended with Helwani asking, “ So you’d be interested if the deal is right?”
Cyborg gave an responded with enthusiasm. “Yes, it would be great. I think it would be great.”
Ronda Rousey vs. Cyborg at WrestleMania 35?
Rousey and Cyborg actually have quite a storied history. Ronda arrived in Strikeforce in 2011, back when Cyborg was already a champion, before eventually carving a historic path in the UFC. It would take a while before the two women were once again in the same organization.
A dream match between the two competitors would never take place, unfortunately. The weight difference between the athletes is what was blamed for this, with the two women fighting at different weight classes and no catch weight bout ever successfully negotiated.
In the past, Cyborg has been critical of Rousey, believing Ronda was scared about facing her inside the octagon.
“[…] when you see her [Rousey] fight Holly [Holm] and Amanda [Nunes],” she said to The Ring Report, “you see why she ran from me. She didn’t want to fight me, for sure.”
Cyborg has also enjoyed poking light fun at her one-time potential opponent via Twitter:
Congrats to the baddest woman on the planet @rondarousey on the first of many @wwe belts.
Sincerely,
The most feared woman on the planet. #cyborgnation pic.twitter.com/kPmGxABuYd— CyborgVNunes #UFC232 (@criscyborg) August 20, 2018
If the match were to go down, it would be a coup for the WWE, bringing to a head a feud that has lasted many years, across numerous promotions, and even entirely different entertainment mediums.
Who would you rather see Ronda face off against? Charlotte Flair or Cris Cyborg?
