Buy or Sell Ronda Rousey Holding WWE Women's Championship During WrestleMania Season

Ronda Rousey has been such a curious case in 2022. The former UFC women's bantamweight champion made her surprise return to pro wrestling in January and won the women’s Royal Rumble match.

One would assume that her long-awaited reemergence would have made a more significant impact, but she has had some noticeable struggles.

Fan interest in The Baddest Woman on the Planet has diminished following her hiatus. However, she’s still one of the most recognizable stars on the roster. She still has enough star power to garner mainstream attention, and Fox sees her as an asset on SmackDown.

Unfortunately, WWE hasn’t been able to utilize her as well as it did during her rookie year.

A few questionable creative decisions hampered her buzz, forcing a bit of course correction over the summer. Now, the company will have to figure out how to make better use of her in 2023.

Although she has had some setbacks, that won’t be too difficult of a task. The new regime already seems to have a better handle on her character.

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An Ideal WrestleMania Opponent

If everything goes as planned, it seems Rousey already has an opponent lined up for WrestleMania 39.

In February, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that WWE wants "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson vs. Roman Reigns and Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch as its two big showcase matches."

Although Triple H has taken over as head of creative since then, one would have to assume the marquee match is still on the table. Lynch was present at the launch party for The Show of Shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and she has expressed interest in the matchup several times.

The Man even threw a jab at her famous rival during a recent appearance on the Out of Character podcast when asked about it. "Maybe if she starts training a little bit more," she said. "Maybe if she gets a little better."

The former Raw women’s champion is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury, but WWE hopes she will be back by the end of the year. The Man remains one of its top stars and a proven commodity at The Showcase of Immortals.

So, her eventual clash with Rousey is the biggest women’s match available for the company’s return to Hollywood. Even more, their heated rivalry would provide an excellent story next year.

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Unfinished Business with Becky Lynch

Rousey vs. Lynch was the hottest story heading into WrestleMania 35. The Man’s iconic promo from the episode of Raw after her Royal Rumble win will go down as a career highlight.

It was a picture-perfect payoff to her star-making moment during the build to Survivor Series 2018 and the champion vs. champion match that never happened. Then, WWE overcomplicated the storyline and added Charlotte Flair, robbing fans of a highly anticipated one-on-one match.

Photo Credit: WWE.com

At The Show of Shows, The Man handed The Baddest Woman on the Planet her first loss in the Winner Takes All Triple Threat match. However, Rousey injured her hand during the main event, and the finish left the door open for an inevitable rematch.

So much so that most viewers expected the 35-year-old to challenge for the Raw Women’s Championship in April. Instead, she teased an attempt on Jan. 31 before setting her sights on Flair.

This may have disappointed some fans, but that was right the call because the electricity from their first confrontation wasn't there anymore. In fact, keeping them apart for most of 2022 may have been a stroke of genius.

Lynch had abandoned The Man persona and was still in the middle of an ongoing feud with Bianca Belair. The development of their year-long story arc and their match from Night 1 of WrestleMania 38 was much better than a rematch with Rousey could have hoped to be right now.

It makes much more sense to allow both competitors to grow closer to the characters they were three years ago first. The fans are dying to cheer for The Man again and the natural progression from Big Time Becks will make her return more rewarding.

More importantly, the SmackDown women’s division desperately needs another star like The Man. She’s more synonymous with the blue brand because that’s where the persona originated. It’s also where she won her first singles title as The Irish Lass Kicker, so it feels right for her to go back to her roots.

Meanwhile, the awaiting champion is much better as an antagonist as opposed to an uninspiring babyface. Her recent feud with Liv Morgan was a much-needed change of direction.

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The Verdict

We’re buying Rousey as the SmackDown women’s champion on the road to WrestleMania. WWE doesn’t really sell the event on matchups anymore, but she’s the high-profile star it needs to appear on mainstream outlets for a major show in Hollywood.

Her match with Lynch will likely headline a night at Sofi Stadium. Admittedly, Los Angeles provides a better stage for their showdown than Dallas. Also, swapping character dynamics and generating buzz for most of 2022 was a smart way to build their rematch.

Reigniting their feud is also the shot in the arm the SmackDown women’s division needs right now. The brand has lost many of its stars such as Sasha Banks, Naomi, and Flair, so this will be the perfect way to revitalize it next year.