Projecting Ronda Rousey's and Paige VanZant's Possible Roles with WWE

As much as WWE hungers to see Ronda Rousey and Paige VanZant clobber opponents in a wrestling ring, the two UFC fighters' roles in the squared circle is bound to be far less physical.

If WWE can convince UFC to showcase Rousey and VanZant in its own arena, the company will have to settle for cameos. Even with the goodwill born from having Brock Lesnar fight in the Octagon while still under contract with WWE, those women aren't likely to actually dish out any superplexes. It will be their star power rather than their striking that boosts SummerSlam and WrestleMania.

The expected WWE-UFC exchange of talent will not end up being a balanced one.

Surprising news emerged this week that Lesnar would fight at UFC 200 in what the company called on its official website "a one-off opportunity." This is an unprecedented deal. The move from WWE to UFC or the other way around has happened, but not like this, not with one entity borrowing a still-active star from the other.

And so now there are rumblings about UFC having to pay the sports entertainment giant back.

Fox Sports' Damon Martin reported, "VanZant is currently in preliminary talks with the WWE about making an appearance at this year's SummerSlam event on Aug. 21 in New York."

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

WWE is reportedly looking to bring Rousey aboard, too. The company "is also hopeful that they will be allowed to use Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, Florida," per Anthony DiMoro of Forbes.

Both women would be excellent fits in the wrestling ring and would bring buzz to those two signature pay-per-view events.

VanZant, a strawweight fighter with a magazine-cover smile, has a clear star quality about her. Rousey, the former bantamweight champ who dominated her division until her first career loss last November, is a vocal fan of pro wrestling and a bona fide megastar.

The two fighters already have nicknames worthy of the squared circle. VanZant goes by 12 Gauge; Rousey inserts Rowdy in front of her name, which she has noted several times is a tribute to the late WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper.

But as much as WWE would love to clear a place on its stage for each of those mixed martial artists, fans should temper their expectations. UFC President Dana White is sure to be protective of his assets. He's not going to want to see either VanZant or Rousey hurt on a show where he will make zero money.

Instead, expect VanZant to mirror what Rousey did in her first appearances for WWE, while the former bantamweight title holder will take her involvement just a small step further.

VanZant

While not nearly as accomplished in the Octagon as Rousey, VanZant is a well-known name, in large part because she is fresh off earning the runner-up spot on Dancing with the Stars. And it's her fame that WWE is more interested in than her actual fighting. 

As Jeremy Botter of FloSports pointed out, she has potential to be a mainstream star:

WWE likely smells that and wants to cash in. The company can do so without having her actually climb between the ropes. 

Look for her to be a familiar face in the crowd at this year's SummerSlam PPV. WWE loves to spotlight celebrities at the event, be it Bill Simmons or David Arquette. In 2014, Rousey and the rest of the Four Horsewomen of MMA (fellow fighters Marina Shafir, Shayna Baszler and Jessamyn Duke) showed up to SummerSlam and got plenty of camera time.

That's the very least we can expect from VanZant this year, but more likely, WWE will milk her presence a bit more than that.

A showdown is in her future much like the one Rousey had with Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 31. That night, The Rock enlisted Rousey's aid to collide with WWE's power couple in McMahon and Triple H. Rousey tossed Triple H aside and wrenched McMahon's arm back.

The moment created all the headlines WWE could have asked for and had the audience buzzing.

Count on a reprise of that scene as VanZant gets in current WWE women's champion Charlotte's face. An altercation between the two would give Charlotte and the company as a whole added press coming out of SummerSlam. And UFC would be far more willing to agree to that than having VanZant actually compete.

Rousey

As a PPV headliner and arguably UFC's biggest star, Rousey would be the bigger get. If WWE is forced to choose between borrowing the services of either her or VanZant, it will certainly go with Rousey.

WWE has the option of building on her past WrestleMania appearance, working that history into a new storyline. Many expected that to come in the form of The Rock and Rousey teaming up against Triple H and McMahon, but that never came to pass.

Rousey certainly longs to step into the WWE spotlight again. During an interview with Piper on his Piper's Pit podcast (h/t Sporting News), Rousey said, "There's no way I can't not go back in there again. There's no way. After experiencing that, there's nothing like it."

And she will, but not in a full-on match. In 2015, Fight Network asked White about the idea of her wrestling. He said it wasn't going to happen, calling the WrestleMania cameo a "one and done."

If Rousey is still under contract with UFC as next year's WrestleMania nears, White isn't likely to change that stance. She is still a major draw for him, a star he doesn't want to get hurt while engaging in something he dismissed on Twitter (via Wrestle Zone) as "fake" (NSFW language).

The safe bet is that Rousey gets herself a proxy in her fight against McMahon. The UFC star can then play the role of manager and enforcer for a WWE wrestler. Former NXT champ Sasha Banks, for example, would provide the wrestling acumen while Rousey would draw attention to the bout by standing in her corner.

That's the route WWE took with Mike Tyson in 1998, a move that had WrestleMania XIV garner major media attention as a result.

Ultimately, that's what WWE wants. In a dream world, Rousey would be on the actual card, but the company will certainly take having her stand at one of its Superstar's side.