Back in 2015 when Ronda Rousey was still at the top of the mixed martial arts (MMA) world, “The Rowdy One” was embroiled in a brief feud with female boxing legend Laila Ali. When asked whether or not Rousey could take her in a fight Ali responded “No woman can beat me, period” in an interview with TMZ. Rousey responded to Ali by saying that all she would need is some time to train in the sweet science of boxing, and she was very confident she could beat Ali.

Now nearly three years later Ali was again asked by TMZ about her thoughts on Rousey – but this time in regards to her signing with WWE. Ali had nothing but nice things to say about the ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion, wishing her all the best in her time with WWE:

“I think it’s cool,” Ali said. “I mean, she retired right? She might as well move on and make it happen. I wish her all the best.”

When asked if she thinks Rousey is a good fit for WWE she asked if Rousey could wrestle, before wishing her the best once again:

“She can wrestle?,” Ali asked. “I wish her all the best.”

With reality setting in that Ronda Rousey is a WWE Superstar and will be the showpiece of WWE’s Women’s division for years to come, many are hypothesizing potential feuds for the former Women’s Bantamweight champion.

Another scenario that’s come up is the prospect of Brock Lesnar’s Advocate, Paul Heyman, providing similar services to the “Rowdy” WWE newcomer.

Last year (March 30, 2017), Heyman appeared on the Fight Society Podcast to discuss the possibility of Ronda Rousey in WWE. At the time, when asked if he’d be interested in working with Rousey, he sounded interested.

“I’d love to see it and would be happy to discuss with her all of the benefits that she could inure by being a Paul Heyman girl.” – Paul Heyman

WWE’s evil genius was also asked about prospective match-ups for Rousey in WWE.

“I would personally pay to see Charlotte [Flair] versus Ronda Rousey, “Heyman said. “I would personally pay to see Stephanie McMahon versus Ronda Rousey for a completely different reason but why digress. I think Ronda Rousey doing anything in WWE is a natural fit.”

The fact that we could very likely see Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte or even Rousey vs. Stephanie is still surreal, but we’re not complaining.

You can listen the full interview of Paul Heyman’s thoughts on Ronda Rousey in WWE (from last year) here:

Do you think Ronda Rousey should align herself with Paul Heyman? Comment below and tell us what you think!

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

Photo Credit: WWE.com

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

Photo Credit: WWE.com

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

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.

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut after the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match this past Sunday. Rousey hit the ring to confront Rumble winner Asuka, SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, and RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss. Rousey had her extended hand slapped away from Asuka before pointing to the WrestleMania 34 sign. Initial reports suggest the plan is to have a Mixed Tag Team match between Rousey and a mystery partner against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

That mystery partner would preferably be The Rock, as he and Rousey had a segment against Triple H and McMahon at WrestleMania 31 a few years back. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne is reporting that Rousey has been training for months at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando prior to her debut at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV). Rousey reportedly trained at night when nobody else was at the center with names like Natalya, Becky Lynch, and Flair.

She did this while simultaneously filming her next movie, “Mile 22,” in Atlanta. She did not appear on Monday’s episode of RAW as she flew back to Columbia to continue work on “Mile 22.” Shelburne also said that Rousey is close to “fighting shape” and should be ready come WrestleMania 34. WWE will also not own the rights to her name as Rousey recently applied for three trademarks to the “Rowdy Ronda Rousey” name.

A few extra fun tidbits for the late night WWE crowd. Ronda DID indeed go to Colombia to shoot Mile 22, but she came back to the States via a charter jet, then basically stayed out of sight for 24 hours. There was one chance to spot her: At customs in Miami.

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 29, 2018

Ronda did not travel back from Colombia with any of her usual entourage so there was no chance of them being recognized anywhere. Her husband Travis Browne stayed home. Too big a risk of being recognized.

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 29, 2018

Ronda told me she's been training at the WWE performance center for several months. She'd travel down there on weekends while she was filming in Atlanta. In other words, she's close to fighting shape.

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 29, 2018

As for her entrance music, I'm told WWE had to get special clearance from Joan Jett's camp for Ronda Rousey to use "Bad Reputation" at the Royal Rumble Sunday night in Philly as she did for years in the UFC.

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 29, 2018

Ronda Rousey has filed for three trademarks to "Rowdy Ronda Rousey."

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 29, 2018

How big of a wrestling fan is @RondaRousey ? She had her bachelorette party at the WWE Performance Center https://t.co/Ez9gDA9hYf

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 29, 2018

– On Monday’s episode of RAW John Cena defeated Finn Balor to qualify for the Elimination Chamber match. You can check out Cena’s current WWE schedule through WrestleMania 34 below. He is working mostly RAW events with the exception of SmackDown Live’s exclusive Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) event. With Cena being on SmackDown Live’s Fastlane it’s likely he’ll be added to more SmackDown show in the near future:

– February 5th in Des Moines, IA (RAW)

– February 11th in Fresno, CA (RAW live event)

– February 12th in San Jose, CA (RAW)

– February 18th in Prescott, AZ (RAW live event)

– February 19th in Phoenix, AZ (RAW)

– February 25th in Las Vegas, NV (Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View)

– February 26th in Anaheim, CA (RAW)

– March 3rd in Chicago, IL (RAW live event)

– March 5th in Milwaukee, WI (RAW)

– March 11th in Columbus, OH (Fastlane Pay-Per-View)

– March 12th in Detroit, MI (RAW)

– March 17th in Tulsa, OK (RAW live event)

– March 18th in Oklahoma City, OK (RAW live event)

– March 26th in Cleveland, OH (RAW)

– April 8th in New Orleans (WrestleMania 34)

– Famous fast-food restaurant chain Wendy’s took to Twitter to comment on Ronda Rousey’s WWE debut. They threw some shade at “The Rowdy One’s” appearance when answering a question from a fan. Wendy’s then cleared things up and said they were a fan of the show after an exchange with Scott Armstrong:

We heard we could just show up later and point at the mania sign

— Wendy’s (@Wendys) January 31, 2018

WOW….easy there red! You just keep serving those cold fries through the drive-thru!!!

— Scott Armstrong (@WWEArmstrong) January 31, 2018

Just playing Scott. Big fans, loved the show and super excited about the ending.

— Wendy’s (@Wendys) January 31, 2018

After making her highly-anticipated WWE debut at the Royal Rumble this past Sunday, professional wrestling fans are wondering when we’ll see “The Rowdy One” back on WWE TV. Rousey did not appear on Monday’s episode of RAW. It appears that Rousey, and WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, are not expected back until sometime after February 25th’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view (PPV) event.

This comes via a report from Ringside News, who reports that Rousey has returned to her filming obligations for the movie “Mile 22.” Filming for the movie is not expected to conclude until around or after Elimination Chamber. As for WWE’s plans for Lesnar, the company has no reason to bring him back until his next opponent is determined in the Elimination Chamber match. It’s expected that Roman Reigns will be challenging “The Beast” for the Universal throne at WrestleMania 34.

UFC President Dana White and UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg are the latest big names from the MMA world to comment on Ronda Rousey’s transition from the Octagon to the squared circle.

Dana White and Ronda Rousey have worked closely over the years and made boatloads of money together during Rousey’s reign of terror as the baddest woman in the UFC. After suffering two losses in the cage, Rousey decided it was time to move on to the next chapter of her career, although she has not closed to the door on another UFC fight down the road. So, how does Dana White feel about losing one of his top box office draws to Vince McMahon?

Journalist Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal texted got a quote from Dana White earlier this week. While the UFC boss would have loved to get a few more fights out of Rousey, he was gracious and wished her the best in WWE.

“I’m very happy for her,” White said. “She loves pro wrestling and has always been a big fan so I know how much his means to her. She keeps accomplishing everything she’s ever wanted.”

Rousey’s longtime bitter rival Cris “Cyborg” Justino took another approach when talking about Rousey leaving MMA for pro wrestling. She started off by saying, “I believe that she will be happy in WWE” – which on the surface, seems nice. However, the tone of her comments about Rousey took a sharp u-turn, as she took some cheap shots at Rousey and the sport of pro wrestling itself.

Head over to our partner site MMANews.com to read what Cris Cyborg said about Ronda Rousey joining WWE.

WWE sent shockwaves throughout the sports world on Sunday night with Ronda Rousey’s surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble and the subsequent news that she’s signed a “full time” deal with the promotion.

Prior to the Royal Rumble appearance, Rousey was in Colombia working on a new movie, Mile 22. As you can imagine, both WWE and Rousey went to great length in an effort to keep fans in the dark about her Sunday night plans. In fact, Rousey (and several members of the Mile 22 production team) were posting photos of her in Colombia on social media throughout the weekend.

WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, Paul “Triple H” Levesque spoke to USA Today about the steps that were taken to keep the big secret.

“It was a monumental task, it took a large team.”

Due to the widespread use of social media, Ronda Rousey’s worldwide fame and speculation that she would be at the Royal Rumble, Triple H says WWE had to use a “large team” to extract Rousey from Colombia and smuggle her into the United States unnoticed.

“It’s harder than you think in this world of social media. As it was coming down to making the decision we wanted to do this, there were a lot of last-minute things. She was in Colombia doing the movie. Trying to get somebody on a flight that is as famous as Ronda is, and as visible as she is – and internationally she’s almost bigger than she is in he U.S. – on a flight, into the country, through customs, clear security, on another flight to Philly, shuttle to a hotel, into the service entry, brought to a bus, hidden in the arena the whole day, and not until right before she walks out there does anybody see her.”

Triple H it was a “monumental task” and “it took a large team” to create that unbelievable moment for the WWE fans. The entire ‘operation’ was kept very, very quiet on all fronts and only a handful of people knew what was being done.

• Details On Ronda Rousey’s Role At WrestleMania 34

Heading into the Royal Rumble, some had Nia Jax pegged as a dark horse who could win the match. It would take the famous Andre “the Giant” battle royal spot for her to be eliminated.

Jax was in the Rumble match for just under 18 minutes. She eliminated 4 participants, tying her for 2nd in the match with Asuka, with only Michelle McCool having eliminated 5 competitors.

Nia Jax and Nikki Bella Comment on Ronda Rousey’s Debut

Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut following the Rumble’s conclusion. Nia Jax seems to be taking issue with the attention Rousey is receiving.

Cool she’s here….I guess 30 women making history can just be forgotten https://t.co/fHqMezduEH

— Lina Fanene (@LinaFanene) January 30, 2018

Nia’s comments come not long after Nikki Bella voiced similar sentiment.

Wonder what all the 30 other women candid thoughts were too? N #firsteverwomensroyalrumble https://t.co/42sztg2JWB

— Nikki & Brie (@NikkiAndBrie) January 30, 2018

Luckily, “Rowdy” Ronda will have plenty of time to win over the likes of Nia Jax, Nikki Bella and the rest of WWE’s locker room. During her post-Rumble media rounds, Rousey revealed that WWE is her full-time gig for the next few years – making it clear the next few months are not a publicity stunt or cash grab.

– After making history and winning the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match last night, former NXT Women’s Champion Asuka took to Twitter to comment on the accolade:

We made history at #RoyalRumble. Thank you for support! @WrestleMania becomes #AsukaCity!!

?? @RondaRousey ??

— ASUKA / ??? (@WWEAsuka) January 29, 2018

– Shortly after the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut. Rousey signed a full-time deal with WWE and is expected to wrestle at WrestleMania in New Orleans later this year. WWE.com released their “4 reasons why Ronda Rousey is a complete game changer for the WWE Women’s division” list. Check it out here:

4. She has already proven she can hold her own in a WWE ring

3. She has an unparalleled competitive nature

2. She has a diverse set of skills and accomplishments in combat sports

1. She is on the shortlist of most iconic female athletes of all time

– After her debut at last night’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey spoke to members of the media about her jump to professional wrestling. A funny picture has emerged of Triple H peeking around the entrance ramp trying to snap a photo of Rousey himself. Check it out:

https://twitter.com/Zaboman/status/957842826485788673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

– If you watched NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia then you noticed Nigel McGuinness wasn’t on commentary as he was replaced by Percy Watson. F4WOnline reports that McGuiness missed the event after getting the flu. Mauro Ranallo and Watson took over commentating duties for the show.

The big news coming out of Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view was the WWE debut of  Ronda Rousey. The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion made her intentions clear almost immediately upon entering the ring, interrupting Asuka and pointing to the WrestleMania sign.

Rousey also shook hands with a reluctant Stephanie McMahon at ringside – a clear foreshadowing of what’s to come in the coming months. According to Dave Meltzer, the current plan for Rousey at WrestleMania is for her and a male partner to face Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in one of the show’s top attractions.

Rousey has been training for her in-ring debut for several months now. That said, a mixed tag-team match will be a good vehicle to feature her in a prominent way without her inexperienced being exposed.

As for who her tag team partner will be, you can be sure it will be a high profile name. The best case scenario would be The Rock, since Rousey and The Rock had a memorable in-ring confrontation with The Authority back at WrestleMania 31. However, The Rock is obviously a very, very busy man it’s unlikely he’ll be able to clear enough time from his schedule to make this dream match a reality.

Opinion: This might also be somewhat of a long-shot, but I’m going to guess Dave Batista as Ronda Rousey’s opponent. Batista has mentioned in several recent interviews that he’d like to return to WWE once again – and Triple H would be his ideal opponent during his final run with the company. Batista is a high profile Hollywood name in his own right and this would be a big opportunity if presented to him.

Discussion: Who would make the best partner for Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon?

Ronda Rousey was interviewed by WWE after her big debut at the conclusion of Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view from Philadelphia. The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion interrupting Asuka’s post-Rumble win, just as it appeared Asuka would declare if she’ll challenge for the RAW or SmackDown Women’s championship at WrestleMania. Rousey pointed at the WrestleMania 34 sign, took a look at both titles and tried to shake Asuka’s hand but Asuka slapped it away. Rousey also shook Stephanie McMahon’s hand at ringside to squash their storyline beef.

Rousey says she really doesn’t know how to process everything but this is not something she does every day and is something very different from fighting. Rousey says it was a real pleasure being able to soak everything up and she’s very aware of how lucky she is. Rousey says coming to WWE has been her dream since before she could talk. She talks about asking late WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper if she could use the “Rowdy” nickname when she got into MMA. Rousey says no matter what else she did in life, pro wrestling kept following her around and it was time to take a hint from the WWE Universe.

Rousey also reveals that the leather jacket she wore at the Rumble was brought to her by Piper’s son Colt, who flew the jacket in from Las Vegas to Philadelphia. Rousey says she wants people to remember Piper every time she’s out there and says she wouldn’t be here or had her run in UFC if it weren’t for Piper. Rousey says Piper taught her so much from afar and showed her that she can also touch people from afar. Rousey says she is a better person because Piper lived.

Regarding the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match, Rousey says she was thinking about how a women’s Rumble would have been laughed at before and how she’s been laughed out of gyms in the past. Rousey says women have been brushed aside in combat sports for so long but to see everyone give a standing ovation to the women’s Rumble was big, and how fans were really invested in the match, and how it was well-accepted by the fans, not forced on them. Rousey says she didn’t even know about women’s wrestlers when she was a kid but she wants to make sure there’s not another generation that doesn’t know about women’s wrestlers when they’re little.

When asked about pointing to the WrestleMania 34 sign, Rousey says she thinks it’s a big fat hint that she’s going to be there in New Orleans at the big event.

– Below is video of Heath Slater talking to Charly Caruso after his WWE Royal Rumble appearance on Sunday. Slater says he eliminated new RAW Tag Team Champion Sheamus in .8 seconds, beating the previous 1 second record set by Kane and Santino Marella. Rhyno joins the interview and gives Slater props for showing a side he’s never seen before. Rhyno says Slater never gave up and that’s what matters.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOj06EZSo8s?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

– Ronda Rousey returned to the ringside area after the Royal Rumble pay-per-view went off the air and greeted fans who were hanging around. Below is video from the post-show segment:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjs3zWDfTLw?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

– WWE Champion AJ Styles posted the following Twitter comments after his win over Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn in the 2-on-1 Handicap Match at the Royal Rumble and after Shinsuke Nakamura won the men’s Rumble match to earn a WrestleMania 34 title shot:

They wanted the match.
They got the match.
But they were never going to get my title.

Time to watch the Men’s #RoyalRumble match with MY @WWE Championship.

I’m ready for the next challenge…I’m on the road to @WrestleMania.#AndStill

— AJ Styles (@AJStylesOrg) January 29, 2018

A match many thought they’d never seen on this continent…in this ring…for this title will be the MAIN EVENT of @WrestleMania. #StylesVsNakamura #YeahOh … this is going to be #Phenomenal.

— AJ Styles (@AJStylesOrg) January 29, 2018

– Below is video of Rey Mysterio talking to Cathy Kelley after his return in the 30-man Royal Rumble match on Sunday. Rey says it was awesome to hear the WWE Universe react to his return and he’s truly blessed to come back and realize that the fans and WWE family hasn’t forgot about him.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isw2muH2aXI?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

– Below is video from Ronda Rousey’s first official photoshoot with WWE. As noted, the former UFC Champion has reportedly signed a full-time deal with WWE.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdwdUVlvbpY?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

– Sheamus tweeted the following after he and Cesaro defeated Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan to become the new RAW Tag Team Champions at the Royal Rumble. As noted, The Bar are now four-time RAW Tag Team Champions.

The Bar #4time Raw Tag Team Champs on my 40th… 4x @ 40. Made up for being eliminated No.11 entrant at the #RoyalRumble in 1 second. #11 in 1… numbers can make or break ya. pic.twitter.com/ryohzoYywt

— Sheamus (@WWESheamus) January 29, 2018

Asuka eliminated Nikki Bella to win the first ever women’s Royal Rumble match. After the match, RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte got in the ring. Asuka looked at them both when Rousey’s music hit.

What is @RondaRousey doing here?!#RoyalRumble #RumbleForAll pic.twitter.com/AN3t95ArYT

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 29, 2018

Ronda pointed at the WrestleMania sign hanging in the Wells Fargo Center. Rousey went to shake Asuka’s hand but Asuka slapped it away. Rousey laughed and then pointed at the WrestleMania sign once again.

• Ronda Rousey Says She Is NOT Retired From MMA

Rousey exited the ring and high-fived fans in the crowd. Rousey then approached the announce table where Stephanie McMahon was the guest commentator for the women’s Royal Rumble. Rousey and Stephanie shook hands and then Rousey made her way up the entrance ramp as the Royal Rumble went off the air.

ROWDY @RondaRousey is shaking hands with @StephMcMahon?!#RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/R2miS8E377

— WWE (@WWE) January 29, 2018

It was then announced on social media that Ronda Rousey has come to terms with on a full-time contract with WWE. This has been rumored for a long time but Rousey has finally made her way to WWE and will no doubt be a factor at WrestleMania 34 this April.

The jacket Ronda Rousey is wearing at the @WWE Royal Rumble was Rowdy Roddy Piper's jacket. His son gave it to her beforehand.

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 29, 2018

Rousey made the following comments to ESPN about signing with WWE:

“This is my life now. First priority on my timeline for the next several years. This is not a smash-and-grab; this is not a publicity stunt.

“When I first met with Triple H, I told him, ‘There are other things I can do with my time that’ll make way more money, but I won’t enjoy nearly as much.’”

“It’s funny — it’s kind of like acting, in that it was something I always wanted to do but I never thought was in the cards for me. And now that I realize I really do have this opportunity, I feel like my 6-year-old self would totally kick my ass if I didn’t take it.”

– Monday Night RAW General Manager Kurt Angle may have just given away a major spoiler for tonight’s Women’s Royal Rumble match. The WWE Hall Of Famer posted the following blurry poster for the Women’s Rumble, featuring former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey – who has been speculated for the event for some time now:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bef_r23hzUv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_ufi_control

The poster looks to be a fake but WWE actually retweeted Angle’s post on Twitter rather than telling him to take it down. We’ll keep you updated….

– Sports Illustrated recently caught up with former WWE Champion Rob Van Dam who revealed he didn’t receive an invite from the company to return at RAW 25. He also said he prefers wrestling sporadically on the independent circuit compared to working for WWE:

“I know some people can’t understand that, but I’m wrestling overseas and I’m wrestling way less matches,” said RVD. “I don’t enjoy the road life or WWE’s really hectic schedule.”

Reporters recently caught up with Ronda Rousey at an airport as she was in commute to film a movie. When asked, Rousey denied rumors she will be in the Royal Rumble on Sunday.

In fact, Rousey mentioned she will be filming a movie in Columbia until mid-February.

Whether Ronda is just trying to pull one over on wrestling fans or not is currently unknown.

Rousey also commented on recent statements directed towards her by Alexa Bliss. The current Raw women’s champion had said she is not worried about Rousey coming to take her title.

Ronda Rousey to WWE

Rousey and Triple H were spotted having dinner together recently which fuelled speculation the former UFC bantamweight champion could end up in WWE sooner rather than later. Both Triple H and Rousey have denied an agreement has been struck between the two sides, however.

Reporters recently caught up with current Raw Women’s champion, Alexa Bliss, and asked her about possibly facing former UFC bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey.

Rousey was recently seen having dinner with Triple H, fueling speculation we could see her in a WWE ring sooner rather than later. Rousey and Triple H’s public outing may have also been away for the company to draw attention to the upcoming 1st ever women’s Royal Rumble match and Rousey’s potential inclusion in it.

Alexa Bliss Comments on Ronda Rousey

When reporters asked Bliss if she was worried about Rousey taking her title, Bliss brushed off the question.

“Please I’m a fighting champion, I’m not worried about anyone taking this belt” – Alexa Bliss

Bliss was also asked about the possibility of Rousey appearing in the upcoming Royal Rumble and replied, “I think it’s a monumental moment in women’s history and if any woman wants to get involved, I think that’s awesome”.

Asked if Bliss had a message for Rousey, Bliss simply replied “Good Luck”.

As we’ve reported last week, WWE COO Triple H and ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, along with her agent, were having dinner in Los Angeles Tuesday night. Both Rousey and Triple H were asked about what was discussed in the meeting but nothing was said.

Per a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it’s believed this was a planted story by WWE. It’s possible the company wanted major news outlets such as TMZ to pick up the story to build-up hype around Rousey’s future WWE debut. Meltzer revealed this is something that occasionally happens between TMZ and WWE, and stated if WWE truly wanted to keep things a secret they wouldn’t have held the dinner in a public restaurant.

They also wouldn’t have shot angles with Rousey at the Mae Young Classic last summer if the two sides hadn’t already come to an understanding. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more…..

As we’ve noted, WWE COO Triple H had dinner with Ronda Rousey and her agent at a famous LA restaurant this past Tuesday. “The Game” missed SmackDown Live’s tapings in Alabama for the dinner, and with Rousey’s agent being present, it’s expected that business was discussed.

Rousey’s WWE debut has been rumored to occur at or before WrestleMania 34 this upcoming April. With the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble taking place later this month speculation has arisen that she could possibly debut at the event. Triple H recently spoke to The Associated Press about his dinner meeting with Rousey and confirmed that they are talking to Rousey about a possible WWE deal:

“We are talking to Ronda, as we’ve been for a while,” Triple H said. “She has a lot of things going on. We have a lot of things going on. But we have a great relationship with her, a very friendly standpoint for a long period of time now. It was great to catch up with her.”

As far as if a deal has been reached and whether or not a Royal Rumble appearance is planned for Rousey, “The Game” said they have nothing to announce at this time:

“We have nothing to announce at this time,” Triple H said. “But she’s a huge fan of what we do and she’s incredibly interested in what we do and the opportunities that lie there. We’re fans of hers and incredibly interested in what those opportunities could be with us. But there’s a lot of things to walk through. We’re talking. We’re having conversations.”

Yesterday it was reported that Ronda Rousey, her manager, and Triple H were having dinner together at a popular LA restaurant, Republique. With Rousey’s manager being there it’s likely business was being discussed. The dinner took place on Tuesday night during SmackDown Live’s taping in Alabama.

With rumors running rampant about a possible Rousey signing to WWE, TMZ recently caught up with Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore and asked for his opinion on the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion possibly becoming a professional wrestler. “The Realest Guy In The Room” suggested that Rousey could be in for a ‘rude awakening’:

“Did she?,” Amore asked. “She’s in for a rude awakening. I mean MMA is MMA, I ain’t hating on MMA whatsoever – respect what they do so much. You ever been put through a table? Slammed on concrete? It’s a different ballgame.”

When asked how he thinks she’d do as a wrestler, Amore admitted that he thinks Rousey will translate well as she has enough respect for the business to understand it’s not easy:

“I think she’d translate quite well. Quite well. I don’t think it’s harder than she thinks. I think she respects what we do enough to know that it’s hard.”

WWE COO Triple H was spotted having dinner with none other than Ronda Rousey in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

TMZ reports that Triple H and Rousey dined at popular LA restaurant Republique. Rousey was accompanied by her agent, a sign that business talks were on the menu.

Triple H rarely misses a WWE television taping, yet SmackDown Live was taking place across the country in Alabama.

Rousey nor Triple H would comment on the nature of the meeting when approached by a TMZ reporter, but it’s no secret that Rousey has been training for a possible in-debut.

It appears the “Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen” angle teased at the Mae Young Classic is no longer an angle WWE will be running.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, neither Marina Shafir nor Jessamyn Duke is training in pro-wrestling. With 2 of the 4 Horsewomen of MMA not in a position to perform, the plan is for Rousey and Baszler to each go solo.

Shafir recently had a child with Roderick Strong and Jessamyn Duke is currently concentrating on her video-game streaming work.

The report continues to say that Rousey’s training is coming along nicely and her involvement in WrestleMania (and/or beforehand in WWE) is “a lock”.

Ronda Rousey Contractual Status

Ronda Rousey is still under contract to the UFC and still in the USADA testing pool for MMA athletes. Although this is just speculation, one could assume she plans on announcing her MMA retirement at the same time she announces she’s signed with WWE.

Triple H was recently interviewed by CBS Sports and threw cold water on rumors Ronda Rousey’s WWE signing was imminent. He does admit the two sides are talking but indicates that media reports regarding Rousey and WWE are inaccurate.

Triple H Interview Highlights

“It’s funny because every now and then I wake up and I look at either social media or the news and I see a report and it’s like, well, that’s news to me because I’m the one who would be having that conversation,” Levesque said to CBS Sports “So it’s interesting with ‘sources say.'”

“Everybody is very busy and I know that from Ronda’s side and her team, they are looking for an opportunity,” Levesque said. “I have made it very clear that an opportunity exists and it’s just a matter of us getting together and having conversations.

“I wish I had something more to tell you than that but we are just kind of talking and feeling where it goes and she is making movies and doing other things. But it’s exciting and there are a lot of interest on both sides so let’s see where it goes.”