The reveal of former UFC Champion Ronda Rousey at this past Sunday’s Royal Rumble has given WWE some massive massive exposure. Outlets from outside of the wrestling ‘bubble’ are now starting to mention names such as Asuka, Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks as potential Wrestlemania opponents for ‘Rowdy’ Ronda and giving the WWE valuable reach into an entirely new audience…something that would certainly not be happening if the cultural phenomenon hadn’t made her way over to the squared circle.
The question marks around Rousey’s full time contract and her upcoming matches are still shrouded in mystery, however it is fairly safe to assume that a match against Charlotte Flair has been considered and a bout against Women’s Royal Rumble winner Asuka will come to fruition at some point. But outside of the already established names being thrown around who else is there for Ronda to face in WWE?
Here’s three names that we feel should be considered for the ‘Rowdy’ one:
Nikki Cross
The first name we’re throwing in for consideration is Nikki Cross. The former Pro Wrestling: EVE champion and ICW alum has been an integral part of the Sanity stable since their formation and an eventual call up to one of the main roster shows possibly alongside her stablemates must surely be near.
As a fan of the independent scene there is a good chance that Rousey is already aware of Nikki’s abilities, her fire, aggression and unpredictability all combine to create one of the most intriguing superstars in NXT’s Women’s division.
The likelihood of this happening isn’t exactly high, Rousey will most probably be used sparingly with select dates and specials on WWE Network against the alread- mentioned established main roster names. That said, the Scottish NXT Superstar is ready to make that jump and what a way to establish her on WWE’s main roster.
Mickie James
What better way to introduce Ronda to the WWE style? Mickie James has been slotted perfectly back into WWE’s ranks and could act as a mentor to guide Ronda through her first few months in a completely new industry. Whilst Rousey is a self proclaimed mega fan of pro wrestling it is a very different prospect when you actually get inside the ring and Mickie’s experience, skill level and name value could see her guide the new recruit.
Out of the three that we will mention this has a fairly high chance of coming to fruition, James can act as the ‘Chris Jericho’ type gatekeeper for Ronda and gaining experience/knowing how to perform for a television audience as well as a live crowd will be essential if Ronda is going to thrive in WWE.
Bayley
There are two ways that a feud against Bayley could work for Ronda. There’s no doubt that the insanely popular former NXT Women’s Champion Bayley has been under-utilised on WWE’s main roster, a chance to go toe to toe with Rousey could present an opportunity to either turn Ronda heel, or in a complete u-turn actually finally get Bayley to turn to the dark side.
Bayley could easily use the exposure from a bout against the former UFC Champion, she is a solid in ring performer and has the ability to draw emotion from a crowd of all ages, something that WWE is sorely lacking right now (Cena and Roman I’m looking at you here).
Granted Bayley is so low down on the pecking order that a match against Rousey is probably furthest from WWE’s mind, however if you want to get a crowd to be invested in Ronda then you could do a lot worse then giving Bayley a shot.
Who would you like to see Ronda in the ring with? Let us know in the comments.
