Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 31 Would Be Huge Moment for Women's Wrestling

Should WWE snag Ronda Rousey for WrestleMania 31, a historic moment waits to be born.

The UFC star would be the most famous and most intimidating woman to ever compete at that event. WWE women wrestling has had glimmers of greatness but has lacked megastars and certainly hasn't ever featured someone as transcendent as Rousey.

She still holds the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship and is still undefeated in the Octagon, so a career in Vince McMahon's scripted world seems like something limited to fantasy. She has generated plenty of speculation about potentially trading in UFC gloves for wrestling boots, though.

Rousey recently posted of a video of herself wrestling WWE-style with Shayna Blazer.

That caused the WWE rumors to bubble, but word from TMZ made them boil over. According to TMZ, Rousey would consider working a match at WrestleMania 31 next year.

TMZ.com reported the following:

"

Sources close to Ronda say she's busy with movies and real fighting, but if WWE honchos wanted to make it happen they can get the ball rolling by hiring her crew—the Four Horsewomen—Baszler, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke.

"

There is an opportunity here for more than WWE just grabbing attention by showcasing a UFC star. Rousey would be a pioneer, much the way she is for women's MMA.

For all the melodrama and goofiness that is WWE's sport-adjacent product, there have been a long line of great athletes who have performed for McMahon. WrestleMania has showcased former NFL players, Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle, a former UFC champ in Brock Lesnar and judoka Allen Coage, better known as Bad News Brown.

The female part of the roster hasn't seen as many elite athletes. In many ways, Rousey is the female version of Lesnar.

WWE's version of women's wrestling is too often sexy women with minor athletic ability in two-minute matches. The Divas are regularly presented as filler, a snack between meals.

Rousey would be no filler.

She's one of the most recognizable faces in MMA. In fact UFC President Dana White, via MMA Weekly, said, "She's the biggest star we've ever had."

As famous as Lita and Trish Stratus were in their primes, they weren't on Rousey's level in terms of star power. 

For that reason, Rousey working WrestleMania puts a brighter spotlight on women's pro wrestling than it has yet to have in the United States. Regardless of whom she faces, that bout instantly becomes the biggest WWE female wrestling match of all time.

Her celebrity and her resume will guarantee that.

Rousey wouldn't just be bringing an air of legitimacy due to her MMA and judo background; her position as the best female fighter in UFC turns that potential moment into something momentous. In the past, it's been men from the sports world who have made their mark on WrestleMania.

Mike Tyson served as a special enforcer at WrestleMania XIV. Floyd Mayweather took on Big Show 10 years later.

The women haven't had names like that compete at "The Show of Shows." Two years ago, TV host Maria Menounos wrestled in a tag match at the pay-per-view. Snooki competed at WrestleMania 27.

Rousey is about as far from Snooki as you can get.

Unlike Snooki's and Menounos' matches, a Rousey appearance would not just be a bit of fun to grab a few extra headlines. It would be the next big event on the women's pro history time line.

She wouldn't be entering this fight as a joke either. She is not an outsider mocking WWE's "fakeness" while collecting a check; she's a bona fide fan.

Her "Rowdy" nickname is an homage to Roddy Piper, and she's clearly paying attention to what's happening with WWE.

She knows then that she's entering a company that has downplayed or pushed aside women's wrestling for the majority of its existence. For every compelling bout like AJ Lee vs. Natalya on Main Event, there are 15 hurried, short matches where the wrestlers have no time to tell a story.

For every talented wrestler on the roster, there are a gaggle of former models who have learned a handful of wrestling moves.

WWE knows that Rousey is an asset like no other. It is not going to throw her into some tag match with little hype or ask her to put on some shoddy exhibition that serves as a signal to go grab popcorn. She won't sign on for that.

Strap in for the most intense WWE women's wrestling since Aja Kong was swinging her hammer-like fists on Raw in 1995.

After Rousey and Paige throw down or Rousey takes on AJ or Natalya and produces a Divas match that will have fans chanting "This is awesome!," the history of WWE women's wrestling will have told one of its finest chapters. If WWE is willing, Rousey can be a warrior who leaves her mark on WrestleMania forever.