Last night, Ronda Rousey made her long awaited return to the octagon. Her last bout was over a year ago and we was knocked out by Holly Holm. At UFC 207, Rousey returned and was immediately given a shot at the Women’s Bantamweight title. Rousey went up against the current champion Amanda Nunes and this fight was even more lopsided than her fight against Holm. Nunes retained her title and knocked out Rousey in 48 seconds. It has led to an onslaught of jokes on social media. Many pointing out the fact that it the Lesnar/Goldberg match was longer and that CM Punk lasted longer in his UFC debut.
Rousey has made it known that she is a fan of the WWE. She also made an appearance at Wrestlemania 31 along with The Rock in a confrontation with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. It took Rousey a lot of time to recover from her last loss. If Rousey does ever wind up joining the WWE, it probably will not be for awhile.
Discussion: Do you think that Rousey’s disappointing defeat to Amanda Nunes will prevent her from joining the WWE? Eric Bischoff also stated that the mystique surrounding Rousey is gone and she wound’t draw as much money now. Do you agree with that sentiment or do you believe that Ronda Rousey would still succeed in the WWE? Share your thoughts below.
The UK’s Daily Star caught up with Triple H at Thursday’s big press conference from London to announce the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament (Full Details).
Triple H was asked about the possibility of Ronda Rousey making another appearance from WWE and said, “I know that she’s is a massive fan. I know that she had a wonderful time when she worked with us in the past and I know we’ve talked about doing things in the future.”
Rousey made a memorable cameo at WrestleMania 31 back in 2014, participating in an angle with The Rock which saw her get physical with Stephanie McMahon. Rousey returns to UFC later this month, her first fight since suffering a shocking defeat to Holly Holm last November. Rousey has “unfinished business” inside the Octagon, but she’s stated publicly that this could very well be her final MMA Fight.
“Right now [Ronda is] focused on unfinished things in the UFC,” Triple H said. “I know she has a lot of other projects in the work. But, never say never in the WWE – we have a great relationship and we’ll see where it goes.”
For now, Rousey’s singular focus is winning her fight against Amanda Nunez on December 30th and reclaiming her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. Head over to our partner site MMANews.com and check out UFC’s extended UFC 207 preview video focusing on Rousey’s big reutrn:
TMZ Sports posted a video this week of Stephanie McMahon talking about the future of women in WWE. McMahon put over how much she enjoyed the Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks main event at Hell In A Cell, and said her goal is to have women headline WrestleMania in the coming years.
The topic of conversation quickly switched to Ronda Rousey, who recently indicated that she only plans to have a handful of more fights before retiring and becoming a full-time actor. Stephanie said she hopes Rousey will consider WWE as a career option, and joked that she still has to get back at Rousey for putting her in an armbar at WrestleMania 31. McMahon didn’t indicate if WWE had reached out to Rousey yet, but says she’s certainly going to try.
Do you want to see the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion join the WWE roster? Comment with your thoughts and predictions below!
The following report comes courtesy of F4WOnline.com:
Dark match:
Jeff Cobb defeated El Mariachi Loco
Wednesday, February 24th:
Jack Evans defeated PJ Black
Jack cut a heel promo on the crowd before the match started where he called himself “The Dragon Slayer”. Midway through, Drago appeared on one of the corner platforms wearing a dragon skull and taunting Jack with nunchucks. Finish saw Drago come down and try to spit mist at Jack, but ended up hitting PJ which led to a rollup.
King Cuerno defeated Killshot
They messed up a move on the apron but it didn’t take much away from the match. Cuerno kept beating on Killshot afterwards until Fenix came out for the save
Chavo Guerrero, Mr Cisco, & Cortez Castro defeated El Texano Jr in a gauntlet match
Cisco is eliminated within 10 seconds after a kick to the face, Castro put up more of a fight in that it took just 2 minutes to beat him. Most of the match was Chavo/Texano with Cortez using Texano’s rope to trip him and hold his feet down for the cover
Johnny Mundo defeated Cage
A woman came out to distract Cage but I could not identify her (Blonde hair, similar attire to Asuka). After the match, both of them beat down and taunted Cage. Good match
Wednesday, March 2nd:
Cobra ??? (Last name sounded like Moon) defeated Sexy Star via submission
Cobra made her debut and looked to be Cheerleader Melissa under a blue snakeskin bodysuit (If it helps, she had a tiki tattoo on the back of her neck). The Mack came out to cheer Sexy on and Marty the Moth was in the stands near the end to distract Sexy. Cobra won with a rear naked choke and did some hissing towards Marty, clearly some type of relationship between them.
Prince Puma vs Pentagon Jr went to a no contest
Nice back & forth matchup until Mil Muertes ran 5 minutes into the match and beat both of them out. Mil left both laying with a double flatliner
Fenix defeated King Cuerno in a ladder match to regain the Gift of the Gods title
Awesome ladder match which saw them fight in the stands and in the floor seats. Match ended with Fenix giving Cuerno a top-rope hurricanrana through a table, then grabbing the title. The tapings ended with a staredown between Mil Muertes from his throne and Fenix on the ladder.
As things stand right now, The Rock is not only unlikely to work a match on the show as was originally rumored after his appearance with Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 31 earlier this year, but it’s considered doubtful that he will even be able to make an appearance at the show due to his movie schedule.
The latest word going around is that it would be difficult for The Rock to even appear at the show, although it was made clear that things could always change between now and the time WrestleMania 32 rolls around.
Former, WWE, ECW and TNA star Taz said on his radio show that the fight between Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm at UFC 193 was fixed. He went into detail on his theory, saying UFC president Dana White used an age-old wrestling business strategy.
“Why are some people not seeing this? This has been done in the wrestling industry for years,” said Taz. “A guy or girl is going to take a break or go away, or has an injury that they have to tend to, whatever the reasons are, and they’re a champion – you take the championship off of them. You do not want your champion sitting home or making a movie, ‘Roadhouse 2′?, or whatever Rousey’s going to do, or just needs a personal break, which she’s earned. This girl’s earned it. But you don’t want that person sitting home for five, six, seven months with that championship. It’s bad for business! Take the belt off her!”
“If you look at the actual K.O. – now, she did get nailed, Rousey, with several shots before the finish of the fight. Nothing that was like ‘oh my god,’ but she got popped a few times. But if you look at the actual knockout, as Rousey, she went for kind of a lazy punch or something – not lazy but she kind of missed – and as she spun to turn around her back was kind of turned to Holm. And as she slowly turned, a high round kick, I believe it was the left foot, or left leg of Holm, catches Rousey, drops Rousey, and then Holm grounds and pounds for three shots – boom, boom, boom. Ref gets in the middle, fight’s over, new champion Holly Holm.”
“I’m telling you right now, that whole series, was the work. And I’m not sure who was in on it and who wasn’t but I know this much: the ref probably wasn’t in on it. Maybe he was I don’t know. Rousey was in on it – and again, this is all my opinion. Holm might not have been in on it.”
The Taz Show airs weekdays from 7 AM to 9 AM Eastern at play.it/the-taz-show/.
Nielsen (the research company best known for being behind television and terrestrial radio ratings in the United States) has released data from a survey they conducted about UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, wrestling fan, and WrestleMania guest star Ronda Rousey. There are a number of stats listed, but one is of special interest to wrestling fans:
Rousey fans are 32% more likely to have attended a WWE or other pro wrestling card in the last 12 months.
By comparison, Rousey fans are also:
* 30% more likely to have a subscription to an online music service.
* 29% more likely to be “very” interested in the UFC,
* 32% more likely to be “very” interested in pro boxing.
* 40% more likely to be “very” interested in “extreme/action sports”
In the email sent out to the media going over all of stats, Nielsen ran down these items as the key findings:
* 44% Americans know Ronda Rousey. Among those who know her, 70% find her to be likable and 67% think she’s successful.
* Rousey’s endorsement of Carl Jr.’s is a fit with her fans: Rousey’s fans are 30% more likely than the average U.S. adult to have visited a fast food restaurant 10+ times in the past 30 days.
* Rousey’s fans are willing to shell out money for tickets for other sporting events. In fact, they’re 44% more likely than the average U.S. adult to be willing to pay over $75 for NBA tickets and 30% and 20% more likely to do the same for MLB and NFL tickets, respectively.
* Fans of Rousey are more likely than the average American adult to be very interested in pro boxing (32% more likely) than UFC (29% more likely).
Rousey fights tomorrow night at UFC 193 live on pay-per-view.
With WrestleMania 32 less than 5 months away, let’s take a look at where the card stands in light of a bunch of recent developments.
Originally, the top few matches were slated to be:
Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker
The Rock vs. Triple H
John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
The Rock will not be competing at WrestleMania due to his movie schedule and more specifically, movie studios having major concerns about whether they’d be able to get insurance for The Rock if he was to get back in the ring. Then things were looking like this:
Seth Rollins vs. Triple H
Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker
John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
At some point the decision was made to jump right into Lesnar vs. Undertaker at Hell in a Cell, apparently with the assumption that Vince McMahon had decided on alternate opponents for both men. Of course, Seth Rollins’ ACL/MCL surgery will keep him out of action well past WrestleMania, so he’s out of the mix now as well.
As of this week, these are the top two matches currently planned for WrestleMania 32 (via the Wrestling Observer Newsletter):
– WWE Divas Champion Charlotte tweeted the following response to Ronda Rousey’s Rolling Stone interview where she spoke about her interest in joining WWE.
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey recently spoke with Rolling Stone about her interest in WWE. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On if she’s ready for WWE:
“I’m ready. I’ve seen NXT, I remember Nattie and Charlotte’s match for the title. Nattie was actually training with the original Four Horsewomen to get ready for that fight. I have so many obligations, but I really want to find a way to make it happen. I’m a huge fan wrestling, and I would like to see the position of women in the sport continue to improve, so if I can be a part of it, great.”
On WWE focusing more on women:
“I’m really encouraged by the progress I’ve seen with what they’re doing with the women in WWE, but I feel like there’s a lot more than can be done. They’re doing some of it now, too. I’m really excited that they’ve brought up all these great women from NXT, who are all different from the normal mold they would use for the Divas division. I’m not going to take credit for anything, but I definitely want to be part of it as much as I can.”
On if she will be at WrestleMania 32:
“Uh, well, I’m going to be filming at that time – and I don’t want to ruin any surprises anyway. If you’re a wrestling fan, you’ll just let it happen.”
Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his thoughts on Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker bleeding at Hell in a Cell, Ronda Rousey stating she wants to be WWE Divas Champion one day and more.
Some fans have questioned if the blood was planned in advance and JR says it clearly was. “How the blood was derived may be another issue but the two talents taking matters into their own hands without approval isn’t too likely to have occurred. Their match was the best bout on the show Sunday in LA.”
Related: The Latest On Lesnar & Taker Bleeding At HIAC
During a recent interview with FOX Sports, UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey said she would like to be WWE Divas Champion one day. Reigning Divas champion Charlotte responded and offered Ronda Rousey a title shot anytime, anywhere. JR sees blockbuster potential from Rousey in a WWE ring and questions if the baddest woman on the planet would even qualify to be a Diva.
“Ronda Rousey and her camp, influenced by The Rock, are strategic in their thinking. Rousey has a huge payday awaiting her for a Wrestlemania story line down the road and they know it. No one ever makes too much money plus RR knows that she can’t be unbreakable forever inside the Octagon. It was timely of Charlotte to stand her ground and respond to Ronda recently but I would rather see RR versus a heel specifically Stephanie McMahon as I feel that’s the money. Plus, do you really want Ronda Rousey going for the WWE Divas Title? Is Rousey a Diva? Is the term Diva still relevant?
In any event, Ronda Rousey in a hot, personal issue interests me more than her going for the title at this time. The question is can Rousey and WWE come together for something BIG for the Texas WrestleMania?”
WWE Divas Champion Charlotte has issued an open challenge to UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
Rousey spoke to FoxSports.com this week and revealed that when her days in the Octagon are done, she’s open to moving on to the Olympics, professional boxing and even WWE. “I’d love to have the chance to be the Divas world champion and just be the best of everything at one point,” she said. “I think it’s just a matter of prioritizing and timing and figuring out when I can do which, when. I’m figuring it out. I’d love to, but it’s a process.”
WWE COO Triple H responded on Twitter saying she’s always welcomed in WWE and he’ll leave a light on at the WWE Performance Center for her.
On Wednesday night, Charlotte told Rousey to come and get it – any time, anywhere.
– TMZ cameras caught up with Kane this weekend at LAX airport in Los Angeles and asked the HIAC main eventer about the possibility of Ronda Rousey wrestling for WWE. Kane said Rousey does great at everything she does because she’s a cross-platform superstar.
Rousey will be shooting the movie Roadhouse in early 2016 and has stated that the filming will probably prevent her from appearing at WrestleMania 32. That said, she recently stated that she really wants to perform in a WWE ring one day and fans would appreciate the surprise aspect of not knowing exactly when that will happen.
– Thursday’s episode of WWE SmackDown will feature a special Halloween theme. Check back later tonight for our weekly live results of the tapings.
– John Cena indicated via social media that he will be competing in another “Beat The Clock Challenge” on tonight’s RAW. The WWE United States Champion wrote the following when talking about the Chicago fans, as tonight’s RAW emanates from Chicago this evening.
– Former WWE performer Rodney Mack celebrates his 45th birthday today. Also celebrating a birthday today is Global Force Wrestling’s Karen Jarrettt, who turns 43.
– As we reported earlier this month, The Rock has signed on as the new spokesman for Ford’s service department. Below is the latest television commercial, which features The Rock and his team.
– The NXT DVD set rumored to be released in early 2016 is now officially set. The first-ever NXT home video will be released in March as a three-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-ray set. The working title for the project is “Best of NXT” and indicates that it could simply be a match compilation DVD, although more details should surface soon to confirm or deny that rumor.
– The Thursday, September 3, 2015 edition of WWE SmackDown scored a final cable rating of 1.42, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 1.42 final draw marks a decrease compared to last week’s 1.62 rating. This week’s show averaged 1.981 million viewers, down from the 2.195 million viewers who tuned in the previous week.
– Tickets for the October 2nd NXT live event in Nashville, Tennessee at the War Memorial Auditorium went on sale this weekend and well over 2,000 tickets have already been purchased. The ringside tickets for the event, which are priced at $105, sold out immediately.
Following a weather scare due to Tropical Storm Erika, the status of Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Tampa, Florida has been in question. On Sunday afternoon, we finally got a definitive answer to that question.
The official website and Twitter account of the Amalie Arena in Tampa issued an update on Sunday afternoon regarding the status of RAW.
Check out the statement from the Amalie Arena below.
After the dissipation of #TSErika over the weekend, @WWE Raw will move forward as planned. We'll see you at 7:30pm tomorrow! #WWERawTB
2-time WWE Divas Champion Paige recently spoke with the The Sun about Ronda Rousey’s influence on the Divas Revolution and the possibility of the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion returning to WrestleMania next April. Here are some highlights of what she said about:
Rousey’s Influence On The Divas Revolution: “That’s the way the world’s going right now, with the whole Ronda Rousey phenomenon — and I’m proud of her for saying what she did to Floyd Mayweather … She’s a great role model for all us women — and definitely, I feel like she’s a huge part of that [the Divas’ revolution] too.”
“Just her appearance at ‘Mania really helped as well, and her main eventing UFC and just becoming such a dominant force in the entertainment and sports worlds. Yeah, I think it all the time, she’s amazing. It’s her, it’s all her!”
Ronda Rousey At WrestleMania 32: “I hope [Ronda will be involved] too, but I have no idea. I have no idea. I’m just hoping I get a match on it! If Ronda makes an appearance and Dwayne makes an appearance, that’d be great. If Stephanie wrestles, who knows?”
Just last week, WWE COO Triple H commented on the buzz that Rousey could be a part of next year’s WrestleMania 32 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. He said:
“There’s a lot of factors involved there. I think she loves what we do, we obviously are huge fans of hers. I think that the opportunity is there if she wants it to be.”
Ever wondered what it’s like to date Ronda Rousey? Rousey’s ex, UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub, is speaking out about his time as Rousey’s boyfriend and it sounds like he wasn’t thrilled about how their romance went south.
During an appearance on Joe Rogan’s Fight Companion show on Saturday night, Schaub claims that Rousey is looking for a guy who is a pushover and will let her run the show. Straub said,
“I’m not the guy for the job. She needs a guy who’s gonna take a backseat.”
Being the world class athlete she is, it’s not entirely surprising that she’s a strong personality that takes charge, even in relationships. Schaub said that Rousey is surrounded by people who “yes” her non-stop and things broke down when he stood up for himself and had opinions that clashed with hers.
“She’s surrounded by people that worship her and go yes, yes … that’s a great idea.”
Schaub’s comments weren’t all negative. He said despite her incredible financial success, “she’s not materialistic at all. ”
Here’s video from the appearance, courtesy of TMZ.com:
WWE ran a video package on SmackDown looking at former NXT Women’s champion Charlotte and her goal to go where no other Diva has been before. Charlotte says her father Ric Flair is her inspiration and cites Ronda Rousey’s success as an example of where the Divas division is headed.
Not only does she plan to become the most dominant female athlete in WWE – she vows to headline WrestleMania one day and become the biggest star in the company.
Comment below and tell us if you think a Divas match will ever headline WrestleMania.
As we reported last night, Triple H was testing out the latest streaming service brought to you by Facebook and took some time to answer some fan questions. Below is more of what was discussed:
– The WWE COO revealed that Bayley would be challenging Sasha Banks for the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn but that wasn’t all he spoke about.
– While speaking about NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, he revealed that there were still some seats available for the event, but added that it will sell out.
– Triple H gives fans a small tour of his office which also shows the live stream of the Performance Center down in Orlando.
– He is asked about Ronda Rousey and whether or not we will see her in a WWE ring again, he explains that this depends on a lot of factors. He says they are huge fans of hers.
Triple H explained that the opportunity is there for Ronda but it all depends on what they can make happen and also congratulated her on her victory at UFC 190 adding “never say never.”
– Going on the road with NXT is brought up and Triple H discusses some of the tours and festivals they will be taking the show. He also addressed international shows and the potential for NXT dates in the UK. He explained that NXT will go wherever there is demand.
As seen on Monday’s edition of RAW, WWE has given the trio of Paige, Charlotte and Becky Lynch a team name, similar to Sasha Banks, Naomi and Tamina being called “Team B.A.D.” and the team of Nikki Bella, Brie Bella and Alicia Fox being referred to as “Team Bella.”
Unfortunately, the team name for the babyface trio, “The Submission Sorority,” is also the name of an adult website, a fact that WWE quickly found out about after mentioning the name on national television.
A traffic analyst for the BangBros website told TMZ.com that their web traffic shot up 56% overnight, and they saw a 35% rise in subscriptions. The adult movie company plans on sending Vince McMahon a ‘thank you’ gift basket for the spike in business.
As a result of the slip up, WWE is already talking about changing the group name to “The Submission Sisters.” There was actually some discussions about giving the group the name “Horsewomen,” however the belief was that it could be seen as stepping on UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey’s toes.
In his latest blog at JRsBarBQ.com, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross talks about which show could sell more tickets at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas: WrestleMania 32 next April, or a UFC super-card rumored for December featuring top draws Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey in action.
While WWE has the WrestleMania brand to promote and a year of lead-up time, JR says that WWE could still drop the ball and fail to draw an audience of 100,000 if they fail to give fans what they want.
“Putting Rousey and Conor McGregor on the same card in December in Arlington, Texas is a no-brainer IMO if the goal is to sell close to 100,000 tickets for UFC,” Ross wrote.
“Adding a strong, Hispanic element to the show is needed too. Nonetheless I’d be willing to wager that WWE will still have more people in the stadium in April that UFC will in December no matter the card for UFC. The only way that WWE can fumble that one is to plan short-term and not listen to their fan base.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog with his thoughts and opinions on a number of current topics. Below are some of the highlights.
On the passing of Roddy Piper: “Roddy was the perfect pro wresting villain because he was fearless, he had no issues putting his own safety at risk, and had no desire to be ‘cool’ back in the day but to be a truly despised individual that lived up to his casting/booking and to fulfill all the obligations his bosses and his opponent needed and that was to make the customers pay money to come see Rod get his comeuppance.
Roddy had no issues ‘retreating’ when the moment called for it and was always willing to cheat to gain an unfair advantage to win a match via unethical methods which are so lacking today by the majority of pro wrestling’s villains.
Without Roddy Piper WWF would have had a more challenging time in developing their new presentation headed by super hero Hulk Hogan in the mid 80’s with the launch of Wrestlemania 1 where Vince McMahon essentially mortgaged his company’s entire future on the success of that one event. Rowdy Roddy Piper’s contributions to Wrestlemania 1 can never be discounted.
The true art of being a pro wrestling villain is becoming a fleeting skill set that will, in time, erode the basic foundation of the business itself if it isn’t addressed.”
On John Cena hate and his broken nose: “Seems as if it’s only the most uneducated and novice of wrestling fans who can truly dislike John Cena especially after watching his performance with a grotesquely broken nose on RAW. I can see where some may not enjoy John as much as others because he is “overexposed” in their view but to verbally castrate him for any other reason is borderline stupidity.”
On Ronda Rousey: “The amazing Ronda Rousey did it again Saturday night in Brazil with a first round knock out. There have been few athletes in my life time who have been as dominate in their sport as @RondaRousey is in MMA. Michael Jordan in the NBA, Mike Tyson in boxing and Wayne Gretzky in the NHL quickly come to mind. She’s leading the way for women to strive to excel in their chosen fields of endeavor and thus creating new fans of female sports that will help countless women over time. I think that Rousey’s popularity in MMA and her stardom around the world has contributed to WWE’s renewed interest in developing the female side of their roster.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
Following her fight against Bethe Correia last night at UFC 190, “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey paid tribute to WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper who passed away this week at the age of 61.
As shown in the video above Ronda says: “We lost a really close friend, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, who gave me permission to use his name as a fighter. I hope he and my dad had a good time watching this today.”
Rousey retained her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship in the main event of UFC 190 after knocking out her opponent Bethe Correia in just 34 seconds.
Prior to the fight Ronda Rousey had taken to Instagram to dedicate the fight to the late Roddy Piper, you can see the post by clicking on this link.
UFC 190 takes place tonight with UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey taking on Bethe Correia and the rivalry between the two has become personal.
Following the passing of WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Ronda has taken to her Instagram page, posted a photo of Piper and dedicated the fight to him.
Ronda Rousey was given the nickname “Rowdy” – similar to what Roddy Piper used after her mentor Gene Lebell began calling her it. He also trained Piper when he was a teenager.
Out of respect Ronda called up Piper and asked for his permission to use the “Rowdy” nickname in the cage and he was more than happy to oblige.