Ronda Rousey’s WWE career might be getting put on hold in the near future According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Rousey’s days as a full-time WWE Superstar could be up after WrestleMania 35.

“There is a very good chance that Ronda Rousey will be finishing up with WWE at WrestleMania,” Meltzer wrote. “Right now, there is no hard and firm last day, but the working idea, which has been the case since January 2018, is that Mania 2019 is the finishing date.”

A WWE spokesperson has since responded to the Observer report. “Ronda Rousey is under contract with WWE until April 10, 2021. Whether she wants to start a family is a private matter.”

Rousey is expected to be part of the main event of WrestleMania 35, whether it be a singles match against Becky Lynch or a triple threat involving Lynch and Charlotte Flair.

Meltzer added, “If that’s the case [Rousey leaving], she would likely put Becky Lynch over more likely than Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, given that would be what the fans would want.”

Rousey Wanting To Start A Family

With Rousey’s future with WWE in question, it’s worth revisiting her interview with ESPN from August 2018. Rousey said she owed it to herself to pursue her dream of becoming a WWE Superstar, but the 31-year-old fighter clearly has her sights set on motherhood.

“We had a set timeline set and now we aren’t so sure about it because I love it so much,” Rousey said. “I guess that’s the best thing that could’ve happened, that I would love it so much, it would be so hard to stop. I can see why people have a hard time leaving this industry because it’s such a joy to be a part of every day.”

“I took a long look at my life and thought that if I don’t try and take a shot with the WWE, I would regret it for the rest of my life. I want to be an example to my kids about pursuing your dreams and being able to do anything. I guess this is my way of nesting and getting ready for children. I’m trying to prove to my unborn babies that they can accomplish any dream that they want to go after.”

FOX Wants Rousey

There is also the issue of WWE’s blockbuster television deal with the FOX television network that begins in the fall. FOX executives reportedly want Ronda Rousey on SmackDown Live when the show moves to the network in October. Not only would Rousey bring her professional fighting credentials to SmackDown, but her star power is undeniable. WWE will need all the help they can get in order to produce the viewership FOX is paying for, so it will be interesting to see how this unfolds in the months ahead.

Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen

There is also the issue of the long-rumored WWE Horsewomen vs MMA Horsewomen match. It’s somewhat surprising WWE has yet to pull the trigger on this ready-made feud. That attraction might have to wait until Rousey returns to WWE some time after a post-WresteMania hiatus.

The WWE’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) is set to go down this weekend (Sun. January 27, 2019) from the Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. In one of the premiere match-ups of the night, RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey will be defending her title. She’ll face off against former RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks. The pair have been feuding on WWE TV for the past several weeks to hype up their bout.

This week, Rousey teamed up with Natalya to take on Banks and Bayley in the main event of RAW. Rousey has proven herself to be a solid worker inside the ring. As for Banks, she’s one of the best in-ring performers the WWE’s women’s division has to offer. It will certainly be interesting to see how the pair work together in singles action on one of WWE’s biggest pay-per-views (PPV) of the year.

Best Ever?

WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T seems pretty optimistic about the match-up. Speaking on his “Heated Conversations” podcast recently, Booker said he believes the bout has the potential to be the best women’s match ever:

“It could be the best women’s match that we’ve seen thus far – and really, I’m not just saying that – as far as Ronda Rousey goes,” Booker said. “As far as Ronda going out there and having that match to where she look back and say, ‘Man, that was so, so good.’ Sasha Banks, she’s one of the best. And she’ll throw caution to the wind.

“She puts herself in certain positions sometimes where it scares me – seriously – inside of the ring, as well as outside of the ring. She’s just one of those type that just will put herself out there and you got to love that. That’s what the business is about, it’s not ballet or anything like that.

“Ronda Rousey’s definitely gonna be tested as far as her cardio and endurance goes because Sasha can go all night long. I’m looking forward to it. All around, the ladies are doing some crazy stuff.”

Do you think Rousey vs. Banks could turn into the best women’s match ever?

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

On the final Raw before their Royal Rumble 2019 title match, Ronda Rousey and Sasha Banks will be on opposing sides of tag-team action. Scheduled for this week’s Raw is Rousey and Natalya taking on Banks and Bayley.

This week’s Raw will take place in the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. No other matches have been made official for Monday’s show.

“With the animosity between The Baddest Woman on the Planet and The Boss ramping up over the past week, both on the last edition of Raw and on social media, what will it look like when the two have a chance to get their hands on one another just six nights before their title clash?” – WWE Press Release.

Ronda Rousey & Natalya vs Sasha Banks & Bayley Stats

This will be the 4th time that Rousey and Natalya have teamed together on WWE programming. They are a perfect 3-0 so far. They were victorious against the teams of Alexa Bliss & Mickie James, Nia Jax & Tamina, and in a triple threat match involving Jax & Tamina and Sarah Logan & Liv Morgan at Tribute to the Troops.

Bayley and Sasha Banks teamed together 22 times in 2018. They finished the year with a record of14-8.

Banks said recently it’s her goal to be a double-champ, holding both singles and tag-team gold.

“It’s just cool at the start of 2019 going into the title picture and hearing the tag titles are coming,” Banks said to Talk Sport. “So for me, my goal is to be a double champion.”

With their Royal Rumble storyline trash talking heating up, it may be easy for the lines to be blurred between fact and fiction in the Ronda Rousey/Sasha Banks rivalry.

One place to go for some shoot comments in the build to this match is Ronda Rousey’s YouTube channel, where she regularly releases videos discussing her wrestling journey in a candid way.

In a video released late Wednesday, Rousey discusses why she looks forward to working with Banks, and why she sees Banks as a special talent.

Ronda Rousey On Sasha Banks’s Style

“I love her wrestling style. It’s very unique and distinct. Her personality comes out in how she fights,” said Rousey. “When you fight people it’s like having a conversation. She’s got a very wide vocabulary.”

Rousey also sees Banks as an innovator.

“She has lots of moves, but she makes up new stuff all the time. It’s not just spots and stuff like that.”

Ronda Rousey: Sasha Banks Is Obsessed

Rousey also gushes about Banks’s wrestling IQ. As a driven person who has reached the pinnacle of multiple professions, Rousey can appreciate what she calls that obsession.

“She’s just a fanatic of wrestling. An encyclopedia,” said Rousey.

“I’m pretty sure that the second she leaves actually wrestling, she goes home and watches wrestling nonstop until she goes wrestling again,” Rousey said.

“Don’t you kind of get that vibe? Like she’s one hundred percent obsessed with it?”

“I understand having an obsessive personality about things. A) So I like her, and B) of all the women wrestling right now, she’s the most knowledgeable,” Rousey said.

“Not just of history, but she’s a fanatic of how matches work and how you put them together. She’s a savant in a way that doesn’t take away from everything else.”

“She’s just really f—ing awesome.”

What do you think of Ronda Rousey’s comments on Sasha Banks being obsessed with wrestling?

During last night’s Mortal Kombat 11 event, it was revealed that Ronda Rousey would be voicing Sonya Blade. The event was broadcast live from both Los Angeles and London, with different reveals happening at each.

Boon played a short behind-the-scenes documentary video that would eventually announce Ronda Rousey’s involvement with the game. She admitted she was excited about the opportunity. Ronda also referred to Sonya Blade as the first “kick-ass female video game character that I related to.”

“It’s a dream come true to be a part of the Mortal Kombat franchise that I grew up playing.”

The current Raw Women’s Champion shared that she had “always admired her [Sonya Blade] and, admittedly, kind of emulated her in my own way, and now I get to try and be her.”

After the video concluded, Boon would then introduce Ronda on stage for a short interview. They discussed what it was like to be a part of the franchise, who her favorite Mortal Kombat character is, and how she prepared for the role.

Sonya Blade was one of the original 7 fighters available on Mortal Kombat’s roster, released back in 1992. She was also the only female character.

For the gamers amongst you, Mortal Kombat 11 will be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One, Xbox One X, and Nintendo Switch on April 23rd.

Nearing the first anniversary of her debut as a regular performer at the Royal Rumble, Ronda Rousey already has a long list of WWE achievements. Rousey recently talked about her future goals on her YouTube channel.

From a featured match at WrestleMania 34 to capturing the Raw Women’s Championship to headlining the Evolution pay-per-view, Rousey has already checked a number of boxes on a performer’s Hall of Fame resume.

What’s Left To Do?

Obviously, headlining WrestleMania would put Rousey among an elite class of superstars. It seems that Rousey may check that box as well in just a few short months.

What Else?

For Rousey, entering a Royal Rumble match at number one is something that she has put a lot of thought into, and would like to accomplish.

“It was one of my dreams in the WWE, when I first came here, one of the things I really wanted to do,” said Rousey on her YouTube channel.

Rousey goes on to explain what entering the Rumble match first would mean to her.

“I just felt like I would never be able to prove to anyone that I actually knew how to wrestle in a way that wasn’t just memorized from beginning to end unless I was the first one out in the Royal Rumble and go all the way to the end and win it.”

“Then nobody can say I don’t know how to wrestle,” said Rousey.

“That to me was the most difficult thing you could do,” Rousey said.

“That, to me, is like the peak of being able to say I can really f—ing do this.”

Will It Ever Happen?

With a showdown with Sasha Banks at this year’s Rumble, it won’t happen this year.

Rousey’s desire to start a family is well known. She isn’t expected to have longevity in the wrestling business for that reason.

“It’ll probably never happen,” said Rousey.

“We’ll see.”

Would you like to see Ronda Rousey in the Royal Rumble match?

Former WWE RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks has fired back at current champion Ronda Rousey over some recent comments she made.

Rousey took to her official Instagram account on Tuesday where she took some shots at Sasha Banks for representing the Four Horsewomen of WWE when the group is no longer together.

Banks, who is set to challenge Rousey for the RAW Women’s Title at the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV event on Sunday, January 27, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona at Chase Field, responded to the champ by writing the following in a recent Instagram post:

“The 4HW is about changing the perception of women’s wrestling in the WWE. Its about walking into an arena full of people, including some of the people in the back, who’s expections are lower than low, and knocking them on their asses. Showing the whole world that ” I was born to do this ” isn’t some catchy line, but a promise to them from me, that as long as I have a breath in my lungs, I will never go less than 100. That’s why I throw up the 4 fingers. You throw them up cause you’re a fan… That’s the difference between you and I @rondarousey after #RoyalRumble you can go back to sitting in the crowd where you belong.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bss-ViEg8rP/?utm_source=ig_embed

Sasha Banks has discussed WWE booking her as a babyface heading into her match against Ronda Rousey with the WWE RAW Women’s Title being on the line. This is something that WWE positioned on Monday’s episode of RAW in Memphis, TN as they added a little shade of grey into the feud once Banks got upset at Rousey’s assumption that she would be winning at the Royal Rumble.

This was after Banks and Rousey beat Nia Jax and Tamina in a tag team match on the show. This led to Banks storming to the backstage area while Rousey apologized profusely.

When Rousey defends the RAW Women’s Title against Banks at the Royal Rumble, Banks isn’t worried about the “good vs. good” or “good vs. bad” dynamic. This is something that she made clear in a recent interview with SportsKeeda.

“Why do I need to be a bad guy to wrestle her? I think in WWE it’s all about competition and having the best match, whether it’s good guys wrestling each other or bad guy against a bad guy.” Banks continued by stating that it’s all the same thing and they all have that one common goal of winning.

“So if you’re a good guy versus a bad guy, you want to win. If you’re a good guy versus a good guy, you still want to win. The common goal is winning. So I don’t think it’s going to take away from the match at all.”

WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey is continuing her feud with fellow former champion Sasha Banks both inside of the ring and through social media.

During a recent post, she took aim at Banks for representing the Four Horsewomen of WWE alongside Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Bayley despite the fact that the group is no longer together. She went as far as stating that Flair and Lynch wouldn’t even “piss on you if you were on fire.”

Rousey wrote the following in the caption of a recent photo shared on her Instagram account, “@sashabankswwe I don’t know why you bother throwing up the 4s when you guys aren’t even friends. @charlottewwe and @beckylynchwwe wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire. You’re lucky the tag title only requires two per a team cause @itsmebayley is the only friend you have. #RondaVsSasha #RawWomensChampionship #4horsewomenVsFauxhorsewomen #RowdyHartVsBossHugConnection #WomensTagTeamChampionship”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsqX88_H142/?utm_source=ig_embed

Rousey is slated to make her next title defense against Banks when the WWE presents the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on Sunday, January 27, 2019, in Phoenix, Arizona at Chase Field.

Both the champion and challenger teamed up for a tag team match to beat Nia Jax and Tamina during Monday’s RAW in Memphis, TN at the FedExForum, which was the first match of the night.

If you’re excited to see “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey defend her WWE Raw Women’s Championship against “The Boss” Sasha Banks at Royal Rumble, then you’re not the only one.

Turns out that Rousey herself may be more excited about the prospect than the majority of the WWE Universe.

In a vlog uploaded over the weekend to her YouTube page, Rousey addressed facing Banks at this January’s Rumble event and even brought up the discussion of her MMA Horsewomen feuding with WWE’s Horsewomen. The video provides a unique look backstage of a WWE event, as well as the life of one of the company’s top Superstars.

“This Is My Dream Match”

“Everyone always asked me what is my dream match and I always say, ‘Sasha Banks.’ I think a lot of women have had their best match with Sasha. More people in the women’s division have had their best matches with Sasha, I think more than anyone else in my opinion. I’ve always been really excited about the potential she could really bring out of me,” Rousey admitted. “Up until this point, I didn’t think I was ready at the level where I could fully take advantage of the opportunity of being told to have a match with her.”

Regarding the matchup itself, Rousey confesses that she is “excited! Really super excited,” and that when she initially found out she “marked out super hard.”

“This is my dream match and I’m so excited. One reason why I’m really excited to have a match with Sasha is just there’s so many things that only me and her can be able to do. Very, very small and very, very durable is not a very common combination. […] There’s so many things with Sasha that I will be able to do with her because of how athletic and just knowledgeable of wrestling she is.”

“I’m really excited because I’m going to learn so much,” she said. “I’m just gonna be so much better in the ring for having absorbed everything that I can from her. We’re both faces, you don’t really get to work with each other. I’ve been able to watch her a lot and be in some tag-team matches with her and try to absorb things that way, but it’s different. You learn things different, moving around with somebody.”

Hoursewomen

“I’m excited to see what the promotion for this match is gonna be like,” Rousey said. “I would really like to bring the Four Horsewomen into the discussion because it needs to be addressed and it hasn’t been, so far. I think it’s a point of contention for all of us and everyone involved is just bursting with things to say, and I think this is finally the time to get some of it out.”

Could this be the start of this Horsewomen feud? Is that a rivalry you’d like to see?

Ronda Rousey released a video on her YouTube channel this weekend discussing her upcoming “dream match” with Sasha Banks. In the video (below), Rousey lays out why Banks is her dream match, and explains why she is better equipped to wrestle the four-time Raw Women’s Champion now than at any point in her short wrestling career.

Why Is Sasha Banks Ronda Rousey’s Dream Match?

“Everyone always asks me what my dream match is, and I always say Sasha Banks,” Rousey said. “I think more people in the women’s division have had their best matches with Sasha than with anyone else. My opinion.”

Rousey says that Banks’s combination of athleticism and wrestling IQ bring something special to the table.

“One reason I’m so excited to have a match with her is there’s so many things that only me and her can do,” said Rousey.

“Very, very small and very, very durable is not a common combination.”

“There’s certain things I’ll only be able to do with her just because of how athletic and knowledgeable of wrestling she is.”

“I’ve always been really excited about for the potential of what she could bring out of me.”

Ronda also talks about her reaction when she was told that she would be working with Banks, and what their interactions backstage have been like.

“I’m so excited. When I found out, I marked out super hard. I was like, don’t be a mark around Sasha,” said Rousey.

“I’m totally like a mark around her sometimes. She probably thinks I’m being, like, creepy nice to her.”

Why Now Is The Perfect Time For Ronda Rousey’s Dream Match

As she wraps up her first full year in WWE, Rousey says that she thinks she is much more ready to wrestle Banks than if they had been booked together earlier.

“Up until this point, I didn’t really think I was at the level where I could fully take advantage of the opportunity of being able to have a match with her,” said Rousey.

Rousey says that she memorized her WrestleMania match last year move for move, and likens learning to call things in the ring to learning a new language.

“It’s like moving to Spain and not speaking any Spanish. After a year, you learn how to speak Spanish,” Rousey said.

She also used a debate analogy to describe her knowledge base increasing.

“It’s like being on debate team, but the debate is in a language you don’t know,” said Rousey.

“After being so immersed it in, it’s not like I completely know the language, but I know enough to get my point across.”

“I might not have the greatest vocabulary to put things in the perfect way, and to be as succinct and articulate as I would want to be, but I can speak enough for you to understand what I mean.”

“So, in short, I’m really f—ing excited to have a match with Sasha Banks,” said Rousey.

“This is my dream match.”

You can see Rousey’s full comments below:

WWE recently launched their brand new Performance Center in the UK. During the launch, former SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair did an interview with “Inside The Ropes.” “The Queen” discussed her WWE career and all that she has been able to accomplish in such a short time. Flair is a former WWE Divas Champion, a four-time RAW Women’s Champion, and a two-time SDL Women’s Champion.

She has been a huge piece of WWE’s Women’s Evolution in the past several years. However, due to Charlotte being the daughter of two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair, many attribute her success to her bloodline. Flair admitted that this notion used to make her feel bad. It wasn’t until around December when Flair stopped apologizing for being “that good.” She also said it’s her destiny to main event a WrestleMania:

“For so long, I’ve felt like I couldn’t brag or be proud of my accomplishments, that so many people were like, ‘Well why is Charlotte flair this many times champion, why is she always in the title picture, why has she main evented RAW and SmackDown?’ And when people kept saying that, it made me feel bad,” Flair said.

“I actually felt bad for everything I had accomplished. And certain individuals made me feel bad instead of saying like, ‘Why can’t you just be proud of me knowing that, whoever talent I face is on the journey with me?’

“And I think once December rolled around, I had just had enough of where I can’t apologize for being good. I am that good. And I am going to continue to prove to people that I am the baddest woman on the planet, and nothing’s gonna stop me, and it is my destiny to main event WrestleMania.”

Becky Lynch was scheduled to face RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey at WWE’s Survivor Series pay-per-view (PPV) in November. Unfortunately, Lynch suffered a broken nose and concussion during an angle on RAW. Flair took Lynch’s place in the match, sparking a rivalry between “The Queen” and the former UFC champion. Recent reports suggest the first-ever women’s match to main event a WrestleMania will be Lynch vs. Rousey.

However, it’s possible Flair finds her way into the match once WrestleMania rolls around:

“I don’t care what woman is standing in front of me,” Flair said. “WrestleMania is my goal because I am the main event.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Banks Takes Shot At Rousey & Lesnar

RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey is currently set to defend her title against Sasha Banks. The pair will meet at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) later this month (Sun. January 27, 2019). “The Legit Boss” took to Twitter and commented on working live events recently. She then proceeded to take shots at Rousey and Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.

Banks promised fans that soon enough they’ll have a champion who will come to a town near them:

“Making towns like it’s 1993”

Making towns like it’s 1993 pic.twitter.com/VE56njw01q

— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) January 11, 2019

“And good morning to all the future towns I’ll be making. Soon enough you’ll have a champion that will actually come to a town near you. Hi @brocklesnar Hi @rondarousey #ShowUpShowOut #LegitBoss #MakingTowns #EveryWeek #EveryYear #PissedOffForGreatness”

And good morning to all the future towns I'll be making. Soon enough you'll have a champion that will actually come to a town near you.
Hi @brocklesnar
Hi @rondarousey #ShowUpShowOut #LegitBoss #MakingTowns #EveryWeek #EveryYear #PissedOffForGreatness

— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) January 11, 2019

ROH Title Holder Re-Signs With Promotion

Ring Of Honor (ROH) recently announced that they’ve re-signed WOH World Champion Kelly Klein. The announcement was made official on ROH’s Twitter account. Klein recently captured the WOH World Title in a Fatal Four-Way match against Sumie Sakai, Madison Rayne, and Karen Q at “Final Battle.”

She had this to say about re-signing with ROH:

“Time and again I have earned respect. You don’t have to like me. But you’re lying if you say you don’t respect me” – @Women_of_Honor World Champion @RealKellyKlein on signing with #ROH and her upcoming defense THIS SUNDAY at #ROHHRS! Read Now: https://buff.ly/2QwPo9X”

“Time and again I have earned respect. You don’t have to like me. But you’re lying if you say you don’t respect me" – @Women_of_Honor World Champion @RealKellyKlein on signing with #ROH and her upcoming defense THIS SUNDAY at #ROHHRS!

Read Now: https://t.co/hwuzzAxEIU pic.twitter.com/ACYmC0G09j

— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) January 8, 2019

Klein will defend her title against Jenny Rose this weekend (Sun. January 13, 2019) at the Honor Reigns Supreme live event in Concord, North Carolina. Check out the card for the show here:

• ROH World Championship: (C) Jay Lethal vs. Dalton Castle
• ROH WOH World Championship: (C) Kelly Klein vs. Jenny Rose
• Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll, PCO, Brody King) vs. Silas Young and The Briscoes
• The Kingdom (Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan, and Vinny Marseglia) vs. Delirious, Luchasaurus, and Shane “Hurricane” Helms
• Bandido vs. PJ Black
• Flip Gordon vs. Tracy Williams
• Best Friends vs. Juice Robinson & David Finlay
• Mark Haskins vs. Beer City Bruiser
• Proving Grounds Instant Reward Match: Jeff Cobb vs. Shane Taylor vs. Rhett Titus vs. Jonathan Gresham

We recently provided an update regarding WWE’s main event plans heading into Wrestlemania 35, which takes place April 7th from the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Original plans would have seen Becky Lynch face off against “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey on The “grandest stage of them all,” most likely for the Raw Women’s championship. Important to note is that this would have been a one-on-one contest.

Since that time, WWE has reportedly chosen to go ahead with a triple-threat matchup instead. This will now see Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, and Charlotte Flair compete against each other, come April.

But if you’ve been hoping for that singles match between “The Man” and Rousey, you may be in luck.

According to Bryan Alvarez from Wrestling Observer Live, WWE apparently has plans in place to deliver this match, sooner rather than later.

“As of today, plans subject to change, the WrestleMania match is Ronda vs. Charlotte vs. Becky in a three-way,” Alvarez confirmed. “But for those of you that want your Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch match, it is still penciled in to take place between now and WrestleMania.”

Besides the Royal Rumble, WWE still has two other events on the ‘Road To Wrestlemania.’ WWE Elimination Chamber takes place on February 17th in Houston, Texas. They also have their Fastlane event, which is scheduled for March 10th in Cleveland, Ohio.

What do you think? Would you prefer this match happened at Wrestlemania instead, or are you excited for the triple-threat?

Recent WWE Call-Ups Wrestle After SDL

A pair of recent NXT call-ups wrestled after last night’s episode of SmackDown Live. Yesterday’s episode ended with Becky Lynch defeating Carmella and Charlotte Flair to earn her way into the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship match at the Royal Rumble. Now, Lynch will be challenging Asuka for the SDL Women’s Title in Arizona.

After the show went off-air, recent NXT main roster call-ups, Heavy Machinery (Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic), competed in a dark match. Knight and Dozovic defeated The Colons. Heavy Machinery is one of several recently announced main roster call-ups who have yet to officially debut on the main roster. It remains unclear what brand Heavy Machinery will be debuting for once they officially come up to the main roster on TV.

That wasn’t the only dark match of the night. WWE Champion Daniel Bryan defended his title against AJ Styles. The match came to an end when Bryan got himself disqualified by hitting Styles with a low blow. After the match, Styles responded with a low blow of his own. He hit Bryan with a Phenomenal Forearm and a Styles Clash to send fans home happy.

Lynch Rips Rousey (Video)

As mentioned, Becky Lynch will now be competing for the SDL Women’s Championship at the Royal Rumble. Following her victory on Tuesday night’s show, Lynch spoke to Kayla Braxton backstage. “The Irish Lass Kicker” said she has accomplished everything she said she would.

She proceeded to call out RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, who cost her the SDL Women’s Title at Tables Ladders and Chairs. Lynch called Rousey a “coward” for sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. Check out Lynch’s interview with Braxton here:

This past Monday on Raw, “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey discovered who her next challenger will be, come the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) on January 27th.

Competing in a hard-fought affair, Sasha Banks would come out victorious in her number one contender matchup against former Raw Women’s champion, Nia Jax.

After the match, Sasha shared her thoughts backstage regarding facing Ronda Rousey at the Rumble.

Taking to her Instagram account, Rousey has since responded, sending a message aimed directly at Sasha Banks:

“@sashabankswwe Congrats on your win against @niajaxwwe last night, it’ll be my honor to defend my #rawwomenschampionship from you. But it’ll be my absolute pleasure dispelling the #fantasy of the #fauxhorsewomen when I beat you at the #RoyalRumble – this is the #reality era, and the real #4horsewomen are here to define it. #TheBossVsTheBaddest #RondaVsSasha #Jan27 #4horsewomenVSfauxhorsewomen check link in bio for context if you missed the action last night.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsYXa2dn-RQ/?utm_source=ig_embed

It’s interesting that Ronda has brought up the Four Horsewomen. Given the other members of the MMA Four Horsewomen are still in NXT, and WWE’s previous plans for a major Horsewomen feud, could this be a hint towards a future rivalry?

Royal Rumble 2019

The Royal Rumble event will take place on January 27th at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

Women’s Royal Rumble match

Men’s Royal Rumble match

Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) vs Braun Strowman

WWE Championship
Daniel Bryan (c) vs AJ Styles

SmackDown Women’s Championship
Asuka (c) vs Becky Lynch

RAW Women’s Championship
Ronda Rousey (c) vs Sasha Banks

WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Fatal 4-Way
Buddy Murphy (c) vs Kalisto vs Akira Tozawa vs TBD

During Monday’s edition of WWE Raw from Orlando, Florida, Sasha Banks earned the right to challenge Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey at the Royal Rumble. According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, this was not the original plan for the match. Before WWE settled on Sasha Banks as Rousey’s Rumble opponent, the original plan was for Rousey to defend against Charlotte Flair.

Had Rousey faced Flair at Royal Rumble, the belief is that her next major feud would have been against Becky Lynch at Wrestlemania 35. There is still the possibility that we see Ronda vs Flair at Elimination Chamber in February.

Since this switch, Meltzer has speculated that WWE could be building towards a triple-threat matchup. The match would see Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey compete for the championship.

“It’s not official that it’s gonna be a three-way at Wrestlemania,” Meltzer said. “It sure seems that way, yes. I was told it’s not official, it’s under consideration and because it’s under consideration the decision was made to pull the match from the Royal Rumble, which means they’re leaning toward it.”

Ronda’s actions at the end of December’s TLC event, costing both Lynch and Flair during their triple-threat match against Asuka, definitely sets up a natural series of matches. But with Rousey already holding a victory over Charlotte at Survivor Series last year, it will be interesting to see how WWE bring the three women together as we approach Wrestlemania.

What do you think? Are you happy with a triple-threat at Wrestlemania 35 or would you have preferred Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey?

Sasha Banks Sends Message To Ronda Rousey

Sasha Banks is back in the title picture as she beat Nia Jax on this week’s episode of RAW in order to become the new #1 contender to RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey. Now, Rousey and Banks will have a showdown at the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV event.

WWE’s YouTube channel released this video of WWE NXT interviewer Alicia Taylor talking with Banks where she stated that, “I don’t plan on being prepared because I’m always ready.” She stated that she was born ready and to do this where she is going to prove to Rousey that she’s the best in the world.

AJ Styles Makes Royal Rumble Promise

AJ Styles is slated to get his rematch for the WWE Title against Daniel Bryan at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on Sunday, January 27, 2019, in Phoenix, Arizona at Chase Field. The former WWE Champion took to his official Twitter account where he sent out this promise about this match. He wrote the following:

“I’m the man I’ve always been. The performer I’ve always promised to be. I represent the power of this sport and industry and I’m taking back its greatest prize. #RoyalRumble.”

I’m the man I’ve always been. The performer I’ve always promised to be. I represent the power of this sport and industry and I’m taking back its greatest prize. #RoyalRumble

— AJ Styles (@AJStylesOrg) January 8, 2019

RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey made WWE history last night. WWE held its house show from Madison Square Garden, which featured a stacked card with great match-ups. However, in the main event of the evening, Rousey defended her title against Nia Jax. The bout was the first-ever women’s wrestling match to main event a show at Madison Square Garden.

Rousey has been a huge factor in WWE’s Women’s Evolution and has been reaching milestones in WWE since debuting back in April. Having already accomplished so much in mixed martial arts (MMA), what Rousey has been able to do in sports is nothing short of incredible.

Shortly after the show, Rousey took to Instagram to reflect on making history at MSG. Here’s what she had to say:

“Another day, another glass ceiling shattered. I’m so incredibly honored to share the ring with these amazing women in the first ever WWE women’s main event at @thegarden”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Br4M2opnfzK/?utm_source=ig_embed

WWE MSG Results

You can check out the full results from WWE’s MSG house show last night here:

• John Cena def. Baron Corbin
• WWE Intercontinental Title #1 Contendership Battle Royal: Apollo Crews def. Curt Hawkins, Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal, Konnor, No Way Jose, Rhyno, Titus O’Neil, Viktor, and Zack Ryder
• Bayley & Sasha Banks def. Alicia Fox & Dana Brooke
• Ten Man Tag Team Match: Aleister Black, Matt Riddle, Pete Dunne, Ricochet & The Velveteen Dream def. Johnny Gargano, The Undisputed ERA (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong) & Tommaso Ciampa (w/Bobby Fish)
• Guitar On A Pole Match: Elias def. Bobby Lashley (w/Lio Rush)
• Ember Moon & Natalya def. The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan & Ruby Riott)
• Triple Threat Match: Finn Balor def. Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre
• Triple Threat Match: WWE RAW Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode & Chad Gable def. AOP (Akam & Rezar) (w/Drake Maverick) and The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson)
• Steel Cage Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship: Dean Ambrose def. Seth Rollins
• WWE RAW Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey def. Nia Jax (w/Tamina)

Ronda Rousey Praises Natalya

RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey took to her official Instagram account where she praised Natalya after their title match on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw in Sacramento, CA at the Golden 1 Center. This served as the Christmas Eve edition of RAW. Some backstage news about this match has surfaced online which you can read here. Rousey wrote the following:

“@natbynature this Christmas I am so thankful and so lucky to have you as a friend, mentor, and contender. Thank you for guiding me through every step of this journey. You trained me and helped me improve to challenge yourself even more. To push the women’s division even farther. You bring out the best in everyone, because you aspire to be the best of the best. You live for the challenge, and that’s why you’re a real champion.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Br2tUnRnlL5/?utm_source=ig_embed

Mustafa Ali On SmackDown Star

Mustafa Ali gave his take on Andrade “Cien” Almas after he beat him in a singles match on Tuesday’s SmackDown Live. This was the latest match for the former 205 Live star on the blue branded show under the WWE banner.

Ali wrote, “As if you didn’t already know, @AndradeCienWWE is a beast. #SDLive”

As if you didn't already know, @AndradeCienWWE is a beast. #SDLive https://t.co/6NqE7s73q7

— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) December 26, 2018

It’s no secret that Ronda Rousey has been protected by WWE and since she has been considered too green to perform on her own; most of Rousey’s matches since her debut have been planned and practiced in advance.

However, this reportedly was not the case for last night’s episode of Raw. Dave Meltzer revealed on Wrestling Observer Live that the match between Ronda and Natalya was actually called in the ring by both the stars.

If anything, the fact that Ronda was able to call the shots in the ring and produce such a good match on the fly while she has only been training for a year shows that she has natural talent for the sport.

Putting aside a friendship was much easier said than done in this #RAW #WomensTitle match between @RondaRousey & @NatByNature. pic.twitter.com/OxcPgA2Jgr

— WWE (@WWE) December 26, 2018

Gallows & Anderson On Their Victory

This week’s episode of SmackDown Live saw the Club Gallows and Anderson returning to televised in-ring action for the brand, and they teamed up with the Usos.

These four faced Sanity and The SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar in an eight men tag team match and the faces were able to win this bout during the Christmas special of The Blue Branded Show.

After their victory, the good brothers were interviewed backstage. In the interview as seen below, they talked about how the upcoming year will be different for them:

Ronda Rousey Hypes Title Match

RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey is slated to make her next title defense against Natalya in a match that will air on tonight’s Christmas Eve edition of WWE RAW, which was taped last week in Sacramento, CA at the Golden 1 Center. Rousey took to her official Instagram account where she wrote the following to hype this contest:

‘Tis the season to get Rowdy #Raw raw raw raw raw raw raw raw raw!!! See what happens when two friends have to fight for one title on Christmas Eve! Can we keep the holiday spirit alive in the face of competition?? Find out yourself on the Christmas edition of Monday night #Raw!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrxqfUHHrni/

Matt Riddle On MSG Debut

WWE NXT Superstar Matt Riddle is excited to make his in-ring debut at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, as he’ll be working Wednesday’s live event. He’s set to team with Aleister Black, The Velveteen Dream, WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne and NXT North American Champion Ricochet to face NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa and The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, NXT Tag Team Champions Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly. He tweeted the following:

“Wow I just can’t stop! If you haven’t heard my year isn’t over and I get to wrestle in the Legendary MSG in NYC on the RAW brand, which makes this my biggest DeButt of 2018 and it’s gonna be the DeButts of all DeButts!”

Wow I just can’t stop ?! If you haven’t heard my year isn’t over and I get to wrestle in the Legendary MSG in NYC on the RAW brand, which makes this my biggest DeButt of 2018 and it’s gonna be the DeButts of all DeButts! #bro #stallion #wwe #raw #wwenxt #wwenetwork #debutts pic.twitter.com/mBVtHdolDQ

— Matthew Riddle (@SuperKingofBros) December 21, 2018

Ronda Rousey recently held a Q&A on her YouTube channel. The RAW Women’s Champion discussed a number of topics with the main highlight being her intervention in the TLC Main Event. Rousey interfered and cost Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch the match, leaving Asuka to climb the ladder and grab the Smackdown Women’s Championship.

Rousey said that “I have a lot of respect for Asuka and I’ve always have. I didn’t really want to rain on her parade at the Royal Rumble. I just wanted to come out and congratulate her and bring more eyes to her incredible moment. She didn’t seem too thrilled about that.” Rousey then turned her attention to Lynch and Flair, stating that “At TLC, both Charlotte and Becky are a bunch of cheaters, they had it coming to them. I don’t have to explain my actions to anybody. I was completely justified by my actions.” Ronda elaborated further, saying that “Payback is a b—- and Askua deserves to be champion more than either of them. She’s never had to cheat. She never had to walk out of a match because she was losing. She’s just the best and now she’s the champ.”

You can check out the full Q&A below.

Credit to Ronda Rousey and H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Ronda Rousey Getting WWE 24 Documentary

The WWE is getting ready to release a WWE 24 special on RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey. “The Rowdy One” debuted in WWE back in January after the Royal Rumble. She had her first-ever match at WrestleMania in April when she teamed up with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Since, she has won the RAW Women’s Title and has shared the ring with the likes of Nia Jax, Charlotte Flair, Nikki Bella, and more.

PWInsider reports that Rousey’s WWE 24 special will air immediately after the Royal Rumble next month in January. It will be the first WWE 24 special to air since this past June when “The Hardys: Woken” debuted. The documentary will likely document Rousey’s first year in WWE.

Lio Rush Gets Married (Photo)

We’ve previously noted that WWE stars Sarah Logan and Raymond Rowe will be getting married today. However, it looks like they’re not the only ones who will be doing so this week. RAW star Lio Rush recently took to Twitter to reveal that he too has gotten married this week.

Rush and longtime girlfriend Sarah Green were married yesterday, and Rush shared the following photograph from the day:

https://twitter.com/itsLioRush/status/1075975626299822080

The angle between Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch has taken a new turn: Ronda is claiming that Becky stole her underwear. The alleged theft is believed to have taken place during the Smackdown invasion of Raw in the build-up to Survivor Series.

I would ask for my undies back but god knows what you’ve been doing with them. You can keep them #youlittleweirdo #TheManStoleMyPanties #LockerRoomBandit

— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) December 20, 2018

Rousey made the allegation during a series of Tweets the two began exchanging yesterday.

https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1075485278612152320

I’m a little weirdo!? You’re the one jumping on me while I’m getting changed in the locker room #BackwardsBullshitBecky #iknowyouleftwithmyunderwear

— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) December 19, 2018

Rousey offered up the following explanation for her interference at TLC on Sunday:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrlEmWQnsEV/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=1bwvf5nba61j2

Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair

Becky Lynch was a guest on Edge and Christian’s podcast last week. She spoke about how even now she is not “the chosen one” by WWE brass.

“No matter how much things change, they stay the same,” Lynch said on the show. “I’m the champ and I’m still not on those posters. So there is that, there is that I’m still not completely the face of the company no matter how much I do, no matter how much interest I’m drumming up, I’m still not the chosen one and that’s fine because that gives me more fuel for the fire.”