Ronda Rousey regained the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship last month at Extreme Rules and put her title on the line at Survivor Series.
Shotzi Blackheart earned a shot at the SmackDown Women’s Championship when she won a Six-Pack Challenge. This is match was Blackheart’s first match for a singles title in WWE. Prior to tonight’s match, Blackheart dedicated the match to her late father.
Last night on SmackDown, Rousey’s best friend, Shayna Baszler took out Raquel Rodriguez. Rodriguez was not cleared to be at ringside because she’s out with a broken elbow. During the kickoff show, Rousey promised to snap Blackheart’s ankle.
Ronda Rousey Gets Help From Baszler
(via WWE)
Rousey started off the match in control, but Blackheart quickly got in offense. She was battling the “Queen of Spades” throughout the short match as well. While fighting off Baszler, Blackheart flipped Rousey over the barricade into the crowd. She sent Baszler over too. They were in the laps of two fans when Blackheart did a crossbody and took them all out.
Ronda Rousey is really enjoying herself in WWE, but it wasn’t always this way.
The reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion has had some ups and downs since joining the company on a full-time basis in January 2018. She’s had a contentious relationship with fans and even got some heat from her co-workers by calling pro wrestling “fake fighting.”
During the latest episode of her “Ronda on the Road” YouTube series, Rousey explained that she’s finally feeling more comfortable in WWE. It took some time to get there, but she believes she’s paid her dues and has earned the right to speak up for herself behind the scenes.
“I think this run is easier because I kind of know how things work around here and I’ve kind of paid up more of my dues.”
– Ronda Rousey
Paying Her Dues
Rousey was a global sports icon when she made the leap into pro wrestling. She was a natural from the moment she first step foot in the ring, but being a high-paid rookie can come with some drawbacks. At times, she’s felt like she couldn’t fully speak up for herself.
Several years into her WWE career, she feels confident enough to speak up for herself and is humble enough to accept pushback as well.
“I have put enough time here that they’ll at least hear me out and explain to me why I’m wrong (if I am), you know, and that way I learned something. I think I feel like I have more of a voice this time and confidence to use it.”
The Baddest Woman on the Planet has been feuding with Shotzi in recent weeks. They’ll battle for Rousey’s SmackDown Women’s Championship at WWE Survivor Series later this month.
Ronda Rousey is the reigning, defending SmackDown Women’s Champion, but would rather be called simply the SmackDown Champion moving forward.
At Extreme Rules, Rousey captured the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Liv Morgan, making the woman who dethroned her at Money in the Bank pass out.
Rousey is a two-time SmackDown Women’s Champion and held the Raw Women’s Championship from August 2018 to April 2019.
What’s in a Name?
Rousey is arguably the biggest name in WWE’s women’s division but believes that the women’s term is redundant.
Speaking during her most recent vlog, Rousey made her feelings clear about calling titles for females the ‘Women’s’ championship (via WrestlingNews.)
“I don’t want to say ‘women’ in title anymore. And I think they are kind of resistant to taking it out. So then I was like, ‘Can I just not have to say it?’ So then that’s kind of where it’s at.”
While WWE refers to titles from that division as the women’s Championship, no male champions have their sex referenced in their titles.
Changing the Term
Rousey hopes for a day when WWE no longer uses the term ‘Women’ for their championships, but this has happened before.
In January 2020, WWE drop the ‘Women’ term from the NXT Women’s Championship, which at the time was held by Rhea Ripley.
Instead, Ripley was referred to as the NXT Champion, the same term used for NXT Champion Adam Cole.
Not long after though, the idea was scrapped, and by WrestleMania 36, Ripley defended the NXT Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair.
Ronda Rousey actually had pitched a finish for her Extreme Rules match with Liv Morgan that was turned down.
“The Rowdy One” revealed this during a live stream on her YouTube channel. The pitch apparently mimicked that of the finish of their match at SummerSlam, but instead featured thumb tacks for Rousey to be slammed on.
“I pitched the finish to be on thumbtacks. She would put down the thumbtacks and powerbomb me on the thumbtacks and then as a repeat of our finish before, I would go for the armbar on the thumbtacks and they would start counting the pin.
“Then I would have to push up to my one shoulder. Like into the thumbtacks to keep the armbar… Liv would be like bite her hand, trying not to tap out and pass out face down into the thumbtacks and have her hand protect the face.
“They said we can’t use thumbtacks anymore. That legally we can’t like purposefully, like, injure people, like, cut through skin and stuff. I don’t know.”
(via WWE)
Rousey captured the SmackDown Women’s Title from Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania Backlash in an I Quit match back in May. At Money In The Bank this past July, Rousey successfully defended the title against Natalya.
However, Liv Morgan, who won the Women’s Money In The Bank briefcase earlier in the night, cashed in on and defeated an already beaten down Rousey to win the SmackDown Women’s Title for the first time in her career.
After successfully retaining the title against Rousey at SummerSlam in controversial fashion, the pair rematched yet again at Extreme Rules, but this time in an actual Extreme Rules match.
The ex-UFC champion picked up the win via submission after a grueling match. Now, Ronda Rousey is in the midst of her second-ever reign with the title.
The win marks Rousey’s third title in WWE, after winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania Backlash 2022, and winning the Raw Women’s Title at Summerslam 2018.
The End of Morgan’s Push?
Morgan’s title win was a long-time coming for fans of hers, but this loss may mark the end of her run on top of the women’s division.
According to reports, the plan for WrestleMania 39 is for Rousey to finally have her one-on-one match with Becky Lynch, a bout that was originally planned for Survivor Series 2018.
With the likelihood that this match will be for a championship, it is likely that Rousey will hold the SmackDown Women’s Championship until April of next year.
If so, Morgan won’t have another title reign until after WrestleMania 39, and may have to wait even longer if Lynch wins the gold next year.
Ronda Rousey and Liv Morgan shared the squared circle for a third time with the WWE SmackDown Women’s Title on the line.
The match at the WWE Extreme Rules premium live event saw them use various weapons including a chair and a table. Morgan hit a code red with a chair for a near fall.
Morgan hit a dive off the top rope through a table for a near fall. The finish saw Rousey have her in an armbar then put her in a choke with her legs and Morgan passed out.
At Money in the Bank, Rousey submitted Natalya to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship, but after the match Morgan, who won the women’s Money in the Bank match earlier in the show, came out with the briefcase and cashed in. Rousey was vulnerable as she was selling the wear and tear of her previous match. Morgan pinned her to win the title for the first time.
At SummerSlam, Morgan made her first premium live event defense as SmackDown Women’s Champion against Rousey, but the match ended in controversy as the finish saw Rousey have Morgan in the armbar, but at the same time, Morgan tapped out and the referee counted the three as Rousey’s shoulders were down. The referee gave Morgan the win. Post-match, Rousey attacked Morgan and the referee. WWE played it up as Rousey getting robbed.
What are your thoughts on retaining the SmackDown Women’s Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Liv Morgan will be defending the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey this Saturday night in an Extreme Rules match at the Premium Live Event.
Morgan won the women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match and cashed in on Ronda Rousey on the same night. She went on to defeat Ronda once again at WWE SummerSlam in a match that ended in controversy.
Ronda earned another title shot by winning a Fatal 5-Way on a recent edition of SmackDown. On last Friday’s SmackDown, Ronda and Liv brawled after Rousey tapped out Natalya. The champion brought a baseball bat to the ring but WWE security eventually were able to break it up.
Jim Cornette On The Brawl Between Ronda Rousey & Liv Morgan
Jim Cornette discussed the feud over the SmackDown Women’s Championship on episode 451 of the Jim Cornette Experience. The legendary manager said that WWE still knows how to book their stars when it comes to when they appear on the program.
Did you notice the most notable thing about the Ronda Rousey versus Natalya match?
It was Ronda Rousey’s entrance to the ring with music came at the top of the 9 PM hour. They may not have very many stars on this program but they know where to put them.
Again, a simple “Vinceism”, top of the hour and to a lesser extent the bottom of the hour, you need a star headed to the ring or in the ring.
Cornette added that Ronda’s work hasn’t improved much since she’s arrived in WWE.
Her Judo is great, but her work is herky-jerky and awkward. It’s not smooth at all. She’s not getting better. I don’t know that she’s trying.
I think by everything you can see from Ronda Rousey, that the bloom is off the rose for her on this wrestling thing. She’s doing it now because she’s signed a contract.
I don’t see her having a ton of fun. I don’t see her trying to improve. I don’t see her going out there and just g*****n shucking the corn all the way down to the cob onto promos and just really being into this.
It’s like, get it over with and that is the way we feel watching her at this point.
Jim criticized the brawl on SmackDown as well and suggested that it might have been good with anyone besides WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan. You can check out his comments in the video below.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the Jim Cornette Experience with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
Liv Morgan will be defending her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey once again this Saturday night at Extreme Rules.
It will be an Extreme Rules match at the Premium Live Event this Saturday night. The Baddest Woman on the Planet has been playing mind games with the SmackDown Women’s Champion by claiming she is not capable of getting extreme.
Morgan proved that wasn’t the case when she put Lacey Evans through a table outside the ring on a recent episode of the blue brand.
"I'm ready for you @RondaRousey, let's get Extreme!"
Liv Morgan Says Ronda Rousey Will Have To Kill Her At WWE Extreme Rules
The SmackDown Women’s Champion recently spoke with Rick Ucchino on the Bleav in Pro Wrestling show. Rick asked what Liv is willing to go through this Saturday night at Extreme Rules to keep her championship. The 28-year-old revealed that there are no lengths she won’t go to in order to win the match.
There’s no lengths. Literally, there is nothing that I won’t do and I mean so very genuinely. There’s absolutely nothing that I wouldn’t do and there’s especially nothing that I wouldn’t do to keep this championship.
Ronda (Rousey) is going to have to kill me. I’ve said it before, but I just mean that so quite literally like, you’re going to have to get creative if you think anything is going to keep me down from winning my championship or keeping my championship.
It’s also, a part of me kind of thinks it’s like funny that people think that I’m crazy for challenging Ronda, who is not from this world (WWE), to a match that literally captured my heart into wrestling.
Extreme Rules, the tables, the ladders, the chairs. That is why I fell in love with WWE. And you guys think that I am crazy for challenging a woman that is not from this sport to a match that made me fall in love with the business? It’s like, I think you’re crazy.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the Bleav in Pro Wrestling show and give a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan is scheduled to put the title on the line against Ronda Rousey in an Extreme Rules match at the Premium Live Event on October 8th.
Liv became a fan favorite leading up to WWE Money in the Bank and the 28-year-old won the ladder match to earn a future title shot. She wasted no time cashing in and defeated Ronda to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the same night. The Baddest Woman on the Planet had just successfully defended the title against Natalya when Liv decided to cash in.
The two stars met again at WWE SummerSlam in a match that ended in controversy. It appeared that Liv had tapped out but Ronda’s shoulders were down during the submission move and the referee counted to three. Ronda went crazy after the match, attacked Liv and the referee, and was subsequently suspended.
She recently returned to SmackDown to announce that her suspension was lifted and also got WWE Official Adam Pearce in an armbar. Pearce announced over the weekend that he will be returning to WWE tonight. Ronda won a Fatal 5-Way on the September 9th episode of SmackDown to earn a title shot at Extreme Rules.
Liv Morgan Reacts To Being Left Off WWE Extreme Rules Poster
The official WWE on BT Sport tweeted out an Extreme Rules poster to hype the event that only featured Ronda Rousey on it. SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan quickly responded and told the company that they can keep their s***** poster.
I was never supposed to be your girl @WWE but the people made me THEIR girl. Keep ur s***** poster.
I was never supposed to be your girl @WWE but the people made me THEIR girl ??
Liv Morgan defeated Lacey Evans on the September 23rd episode of SmackDown. After the match, the champion put Lacey on a table and climbed to the top rope. She connected with a Senton through the table and said that she is “ready to get Extreme” to the camera. A wrestling legend questioned the booking of Lacey Evans and you can check that out here.
Liv Morgan has offered up a reaction to a solo Ronda Rousey poster for the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV).
Morgan will put her SmackDown Women’s Title up for grabs against Rousey this weekend at the event. All the action goes down from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The title will be on the line in an Extreme Rules match, a stipulation Morgan herself surprisingly asked for against Rousey, wanting to earn the former UFC Champion’s respect after already having beaten Rousey twice.
The Extreme Rules poster for the show currently features Rousey as the sole focus, to which Morgan had a simple response to on Twitter, appearing to not be too big of a fan.
Liv Morgan took the title from Rousey at the Money In The Bank PPV earlier this year, cashing in on Rousey after she had just retained the strap over Natalya. This resulted in a rematch between the pair at SummerSlam.
The match ended in controversial fashion when Rousey had Morgan in a submission, however, Rousey’s shoulders were on the mat, and the referee made the three count.
Morgan actually tapped out right as the three count was made, but the match was awarded to Morgan, who retained her title as a result. Now, Morgan will put the gold up for grabs again, but this time, it’s anything goes to determine the winner.
Ronda Rousey is set to battle Liv Morgan for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in an Extreme Rules match at the Premium Live Event on October 8th.
The Baddest Woman on the Planet earned the title shot by winning a Fatal 5-Way on the September 9th edition of SmackDown. Liv Morgan sent a message to Ronda on this past Friday’s episode of the blue brand following her bout with Lacey Evans.
Morgan hit Oblivion to pick up the pinfall victory but wanted more. She climbed to the top turnbuckle and connected with a Senton to send Lacey crashing through the table. The 28-year-old then looked at the camera and stated “I’m ready for you Ronda! Let’s get Extreme!”.
"I'm ready for you @RondaRousey, let's get Extreme!"
What Does Ronda Rousey Think Is The Difference Between WWE & UFC Fans?
Ronda Rousey spoke about the difference between UFC and WWE fans on her latest gaming stream on her YouTube channel. The former UFC Women’s Champion said that WWE fans respect the legends of the business for a lot longer.
She pointed out how the WWE Universe will remember something a wrestler did twenty years ago, while UFC fans are ready to move on if you are no longer at the top.
I would say that the WWE fans care more about the wrestlers than the UFC fans care more about the fighters. UFC fans have much less respect for the veterans and legends of the sport than WWE fans do.
A lot of UFC fans are kind of like bandwagon fans in that way. The second you’re not on top, you’re dead to them. Where WWE fans are like, ‘this is the guy that did this 20 years ago’ and are still really excited whereas UFC fans now are like, ‘Forrest Griffin sucks.’ Uhh, you owe basically the whole sport to him. S*** like that. ‘Anderson Silva sucks. GSP [Georges St-Pierre] sucks.’
These are people that elevated the sport and paved the way for everybody else. I don’t see UFC fans having the same respect for people that got the sport to where it is as WWE fans. I’m not saying it’s completely absent, I’m just saying I see more respect for legends in WWE fans than UFC fans. There are exceptions to everything.
Ronda Rousey on the difference between WWE & UFC fans
Ronda Rousey has been an active part of WWE’s roster since her return to programming this year, but she won’t be doing an entire overseas tour for the company.
Rousey returned after a nearly three-year absence from WWE programming at this year’s Royal Rumble, winning the 30-Woman match.
European Tour
Unlike several high-profile stars such as Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, Rousey makes regular in-ring appearances for WWE at Premium Live Events and TV.
While her tenure on TV shows no signs of ending, a full European tour is out of the question.
“I can’t do those (European) tours anymore now that I have P? [Rousey’s daughter] which sucks because it was really fun… I can’t really do a whole tour. I had to do like one arena or whatever, because London, O2 Arena, or something was a big deal.
“If they’re in a big venue or something, I’m like the emergency button. We’re having trouble selling out this venue. Quick, hit the “Ronda” button kind of a thing.”
Ronda Rousey the Mother
Becoming a mother was always something that the former UFC fighter turned WWE Superstar wanted to do.
After her first WWE loss at WrestleMania 35, Rousey took an indefinite leave from the company to start a family.
After years of trying, Rousey and her husband Travis Browne welcomed their first daughter La’akea Makalapuaokalanipo Browne.
In January, Ronda Rousey returned to WWE after a near-three year absence from the promotion.
Returning at the Royal Rumble, Rousey won the Women’s Rumble match, earning a title match at WrestleMania 38 that she’d lose.
Rousey would win the SmackDown Women’s Championship a month later at WrestleMania Backlash, before losing the title to current champion Liv Morgan who cashed in Money in the Bank.
Plans for Rousey
Ronda Rousey is one of the biggest stars to join WWE, having established herself in the Olympics and UFC before signing in 2018.
Since losing the SmackDown Women’s Championship, Rousey has acted as a tweener, bordering on the line between heel and face.
Speaking during Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said the plan is for Rousey to be presented similar to another ex-UFC name (via Wrestling News.)
“They want to get her back to ‘special attraction, big Brock Lesnar star.’ So that’s the goal of what they’re doing right now. The belief was that at the end, because she’s [working with babyface] Liv Morgan, [Ronda] ends up as a heel. What they’re doing now isn’t necessarily to make her a heel, it’s to make her a big big star.”
Meltzer added that recent Google Trends show Rousey falling behind Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, and WWE wants to rebuild her image as a special attraction.
WrestleMania
Despite her impressive performances, Rousey doesn’t have a great WrestleMania record.
The former champion is 1-2 at WWE’s biggest show of the year, having won in 2018 (her WWE debut match) but lost in 2019 and 2022.
Meltzer noted that a year ago, the plan was for Rousey to face Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 39.
This has been a match WWE planned for Survivor Series 2018, but was changed after Lynch suffered a concussion.
It was noted that plans for WrestleMania 39 could change depending on fan reactions.
WWE taped the September 2 episode of SmackDown from Detroit alongside tonight’s episode of the show. It featured the final build for the Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre Clash at The Castle match and more.
You can check out the full spoilers for the show below:
Karrion Kross wrestles first match since his WWE return and defeats Drew Gulak.
Ronda Rousey cuts an in-ring promo calling out Adam Pearce. They talk about her suspension and how it was lifted because she paid her fine. Her arrest was unwarranted as it was not a criminal act and she is reinstated immediately. Pearce tells Ronda that he would fire her if it was in his hands. The WWE producer calls her “The single biggest bitch he’s ever met,” leading to Rousey locking him in an armbar.
Hit Row defeats Maximum Male Models in a tag match. Humberto and Garza attack Hit Row after the bout and The Street Profits make the save.
Happy Corbin comes out for a promo. He trash talks Detroit and issues and open challenge. Shinsuke Nakamura accepts the challenge and defeats him via pinfall.
Butch defeats Ludwig Kaiser in a singles match. Gunther and Sheamus come face to face but Ludwig breaks it up and leads Gunther away. Butch apparently had his Bruiserweight gear back for this bout.
Viking Raiders face The New Day in a Viking Rules match. Raiders win the match after putting Kofi through double-stacked tables.
The Usos and Sami Zayn hosted a Championship Celebration for Roman Reigns. Reigns pulls up in the arena but gets taken down with a Claymore as soon as he gets out of the car. Drew McIntyre then heads to the ring and clears it of the rest of the Bloodline. He puts Jimmy Uso through the announce table and Jay through the Barricade. McIntyre emphasizes WWE as ‘World WRESTLING Entertainment.’
WWE has a busy weekend ahead, with the Raw and SmackDown crews touring Canada, while NXT has two shows in Florida.
Here are a few interesting notes for what’s ahead:
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will be making a rare live event appearance at Saturday’s SmackDown house show from Ottawa. He’ll be wrestling in the main event against his Clash at the Castle opponent, Drew McIntyre.
Reigns has been working a greatly reduced schedule over the past several months. He’s been kept off a few premium live events and does not work many non-televised shows.
Ronda Rousey, who is currently serving ‘suspended’ due to her attacking a referee at SummerSlam, is also back on the road for SmackDown She’ll be competing in 3-way matches with SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan and Natalya.
On the Raw side, WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus will be hosting the events from Kingston, Ontario and London, Ontario. This weekend’s Raw brand main events will see Theory vs. Dolph Ziggler in a Street Fight. Rollins vs. Riddle is also advertised.
WWE Weekend Schedule
Friday, August 19
Friday Night SmackDown (Montreal, QC)
NXT Live (Lakeland, FL)
Saturday, August 20
NXT Live (Venice, FL)
Saturday Night’s Main Event – SmackDown (Ottowa, ON)
Rousey was upset after the referee ruled in Liv Morgan’s favor at their SummerSlam match this past weekend.
Morgan put her title up for grabs against Rousey, who she cashed in her Money In The Bank briefcase on to win the title.
The ending sequence of their SummerSlam match saw Ronda Rousey put Morgan in an armbar. However, although Morgan tapped out, Rousey’s shoulders were on the mat, to which the referee counted to three.
Rousey was furious with the decision, and decided to take her frustrations out on both Morgan and referee Dan Engler. It was later announced Rousey received a storyline suspension and was “fined.”
Ronda Rousey’s Return
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reports that Rousey is currently booked to work the upcoming WWE Clash at the Castle event next month.
With that being said, she shouldn’t be kept off TV for too long.
WWE Clash At The Castle takes place from Wales on September 3. It will be WWE’s first stadium show in the UK since 1992 – 30 years ago. It all goes down from the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
The event will be broadcast on Peacock in the United States, and the WWE Network everywhere else.
WWE has announced a storyline fine and suspension for Ronda Rousey due to her unprofessional conduct at Summerslam.
Rousey unsuccessfully challenged Raw Women’s Champion Liv Morgan at Saturday’s premium live event from Nashville. The match ended in controversy and things went downhill from there.
Liv Morgan pinned Ronda Rousey’s shoulders to the mat and was awarded the victory. However, the referee missed that Morgan was tapping out from Rousey’s armbar submission before counting the pin.
An instant replay showed that Rousey should have won the match, but the referee can’t call what he didn’t see.
Rousey became irate, feeling that she’d been robbed at the chance to reclaim the Raw Women’s title. The Baddest Woman on the Planet attacked Morgan and then shifted her attention to referee Dan Engler.
Rousey proceeded to attack referee Engler and applied the same armbar to him that she had just locked on to Liv Morgan.
WWE has taken swift action against Rousey for her conduct. A statement from WWE reads:
“Following her attack on referee Dan Engler at SummerSlam, Ronda Rousey has been fined an undisclosed amount and will be suspended… Due to her suspension, Rousey will not appear on this week’s Friday Night SmackDown.”
This storyline suspension will be a way for WWE to write Ronda Rousey off television for the foreseeable future.
Liv Morgan made her first premium live event defense as SmackDown Women’s Champion against Ronda Rousey at Saturday’s WWE SummerSlam event from the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
The match was short and quick. It was mostly dominated by Rousey. The finish saw Rousey have Morgan in the armbar, but at the same time, Morgan tapped, the referee counted the three as Rousey’s shoulders were down. They gave Morgan the win even. Post-match, Rousey attacked Morgan and the referee. WWE played it up as Rousey getting robbed.
At Money in the Bank, Rousey submitted Natalya to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship, but after the match Morgan, who won the women’s Money in the Bank match earlier in the show, came out with the briefcase and cashed in. Rousey was vulnerable as she was selling the wear and tear of her previous match. Morgan pinned her to win the title for the first time.
On the July 8th edition of SmackDown, Morgan came out for a promo when she was confronted by Natalya, who told her if it wasn’t for her injuring Rousey’s leg then she wouldn’t be champion. Rouisey came out to confront Natalya, which led to Rousey beating Natalya.
The appearance came shortly after Alexa Bliss defeated Doudrop in singles action. During the commercial break, Doudrop got on the mic and said she’s not getting out of the ring until someone comes out and makes her leave.
Rousey’s music then hit and she made her way down to the ring. Nikki A.S.H. rolled out of the ring, but Doudrop stayed in to confront Rousey. Nikki then came in and tried to help Doudrop double team Rousey, but Rousey quickly regained the momentum.
She was able to put Doudrop in an Ankle Lock before Nikki pulled Doudrop out of the ring. Rousey then celebrated briefly inside the ring before making her exit.
Rousey was actually advertised for Monday Night RAW this week, leaving many to wonder why she wasn’t on the program. As it turns out, she was at MSG, but only for the live crowd.
Currently, Rousey stars on SmackDown Live where she’s chasing back the SmackDown Live Women’s Title. Rousey dropped the strap to Liv Morgan at the Money In The Bank premium live event.
After winning the briefcase earlier that night, Morgan cashed in just moments later on Rousey, who had just defeated Natalya to retain her title. Morgan picked up the win and her first-ever singles title in WWE.
Now, Rousey will get her rematch for the title against Morgan at SummerSlam this Saturday night.
At Money in the Bank 2022, Liv Morgan won the Women’s Ladder Match, guaranteeing her a championship match at a time of her choosing for up to a year.
Morgan didn’t waste time in picking her moment, as mere hours later she cashed in on Ronda Rousey, who had retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Natalya.
Winning the title from Ripley, many felt this was the perfect moment for Morgan, though not everyone is pleased.
Korderas Weighs In
Speaking on his ‘Reffin Rant,’ former WWE official Jimmy Korderas said he wasn’t a fan of Morgan’s booking.
While Korderas said it was a nice surprise, he believes that Morgan shouldn’t have cashed in the way she did (via Wrestling Inc.)
“It was a nice surprise. It got the huge pop it wanted, but is it the way a babyface should win a championship and cash in their Money In The Bank? That’s the only issue I had. Yes, the crowd did love it, but at the same time, babyfaces don’t do it that way. Maybe, if she came in and said to Ronda Rousey, ‘I want to cash this in, are you ready?’ And Ronda said, ‘Okay,’ and then do it, then you can make a case for that.”
“Is it the way a babyface should win a championship and cash in their Money In The Bank?”
Jimmy Korderas on Liv Morgan’s Money in the Bank cash-in
Faces Cashing In
While babyfaces have cashed in Money in the Bank in the past, it is rare to see them cash in on a fellow babyface.
In 2006, Rob Van Dam announced in advance he was cashing in on face WWE Champion John Cena, who received a hostile reaction from the ECW One Night Stand 2006 crowd.
While Daniel Bryan, Kane, and CM Punk (in 2009) were all faces when they cashed in on babyfaces (Big Show, Rey Mysterio, and Jeff Hardy respectively,) the three briefcase holders all turned heel shortly after.
Ronda Rousey’s reign as SmackDown Women’s Champion is over, less than two months after it began. She captured the title on May 8 at WrestleMania Backlash. Her reign ended at at just 55 days with Liv Morgan successfully cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase.
Fans were surprised to see Rousey drop the title so suddenly, especially as her reign as Raw Women’s Champion from 2018 to 2019 was 231 days long, a record at the time.
According to a source close to the Baddest Woman on the Planet, Rousey had already put plans in motion about her title loss early into her run as SmackDown Women’s Champion.
On social media, Rousey’s personal photographer said that the now-former Champion who “never wanted or asked” to win the title.
Rousey’s photographer also said that the “Baddest Woman on the Planet” had “demanded” that the most passionate member of the locker room be the one who defeat her for the SmackDown Women’s Title.
According to Ronda Rousey's photographer, Ronda demanded the title be given to the most passionate pro wrestler.. Liv Morgan!pic.twitter.com/X7MxzcROaQ
There has also been speculation that Charlotte Flair could be involved to reignite her feud with Ronda, who dethroned her for the title at WrestleMania Backlash.
WWE have yet to confirm the rumored SmackDown Women’s Championship match for the Summerslam card.
Liv Morgan made history on Saturday night by winning the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, cashing in on Ronda Rousey later in the show and capturing the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
We now look ahead to SummerSlam, where Morgan is slated to be featured in a top match on the summer spectacular.
Liv Morgan had a career-altering night at Saturday’s WWE Money in the Bank.
After winning the women’s MITB ladder match in the first match of the show, she would cash in on the same night after SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey successfully retained the title over Natalya.
After Ronda’s title defense, Liv ran to the ring and cashed in immediately. As soon as the match began, Rousey locked Morgan in the ankle lock.
Morgan then kicked Rousey’s bad knee that had been worked over in the match with Natalya, allowing Liv to roll her up and get the win.
SummerSlam Plans for Liv Morgan
(via WWE)
On today’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained that the current plan for Liv at SummerSlam on July 30 is to defend the title against Ronda.
There apparently has been some speculation that WWE might utilize Charlotte Flair and reignite her feud with Rousey at this upcoming event.
Charlotte has been off of WWE TV for a while after getting married to AEW star Andrade El Idolo.
Dave said, “Right now, the plan is Liv Morgan and Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam, which kind of surprises me in a lot of ways, especially because they didn’t leave with any heat. Ronda just hugged her, walked out of the ring, and let her have her moment.
“They’ve been building for this with Liv Morgan for a while. It is interesting, though, as I think almost everybody figured it was going to be Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam, and it’s not.”
As of right now, WWE has not yet confirmed these plans for Liv, Ronda, or Charlotte.
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey made her latest defense against Natalya at the WWE Money in the Bank event. However, there was a surprise with Liv Morgan following the bout.
The match was technical as they focused on submissions. Ronda locked in the sharpshooter at one point. Natalya put her in the sharpshooter on the apron, but Rousey sent Natalya head first into the ring post. Natalya went for the sharpshooter again, but Rousey reversed and put her the armbar for the win.
Following the match, Morgan ran out to the ring and cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase that she won earlier in the night. Morgan attacked her, but Rousey put her in the ankle lock. Morgan kicked her in the bad knee and rolled her up for the win.
Watch what Liv Morgan had to say after her historic Money in the Bank cash-in and SmackDown Women’s championship win:
Shayna Baszler is “frustrated” by the criticism her friend and WWE SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey receives.
Rousey officially made her WWE debut in 2018, joining WWE full-time as a competitor. She has since gone on to win both the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Titles once each, the latter of which she still holds.
While Rousey has certainly done some impressive things since making the jump from mixed martial arts (MMA) to professional wrestling, she isn’t without her critics.
Whether it’s her in ring work, promos, or the way she ended her MMA career, there’s always a group of people who have something negative to say about “The Rowdy One,” and as Shayna Baslzer explains on “Out Of Character” with Ryan Satin, it frustrates her.
“Here’s the thing, I know Ronda enough to know that she does not spend her time on social media. Anytime she comments is because someone has said, ‘Hey, Ronda, you should comment on this,’ which isn’t often because she’ll still be like, ‘Why? Who cares?’ I get frustrated when – it’s a little more selfish than that. I get frustrated if I ever were to speak out.”
Rousey and Baszler are great friends, having competed together in the UFC for several years. Both women now have homes in WWE, although a singles title run on the main roster has eluded Baszler thus far.
She is a two-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion as well as a former NXT Women’s Champion. As for Rousey, she’s slated to put her SmackDown Women’s Title up for grabs against Natalya at the upcoming Money In The Bank premium live event.
