Ronda Rousey: Latest News and Buzz on Possible WWE Debut for Week of Dec. 22

There's going to be a women's battle at the Royal Rumble this year. And the speculation started almost immediately after Stephanie McMahon's announcement: Will Ronda Rousey be a surprise entrant?

The former UFC women's bantamweight champion has lain low since her loss to Amanda Nunes almost a year ago.

That was her second defeat; Rousey also lost in November 2015 to Holly Holm, a former professional boxer and kickboxer. Despite her Olympic-caliber judoka skill, Rousey attempted to match her opponent's standup game punch for punch, and the fight ended in the second round with a brutal kick to the head.

The Nunes fight was a non-competitive 48-second drubbing—a beatdown that once and for all ended the myth of Rousey as the most dangerous woman in the world.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is why professional wrestling evolved from a legit competition to a scripted work. Rousey was the face for the UFC; the company had invested so much in her image, her invulnerability and what she represented to many young women. And in 48 seconds, she destroyed that image and cost the company millions of dollars.

So it makes sense that Rousey would embark on professional wrestling. She has a take-no-prisoners attitude and a ton of charisma. She provides the crossover appeal WWE covets so deeply. And because all the matches are pre-determined, she never has to sacrifice her ego and mental health for an unexpected loss.

But is WWE signing her? Will she follow up on her showdown against the Four Horsewomen during the Mae Young Classic? There are conflicting reports.

In a recent interview, Triple H denied reports Rousey was signed or close to signing with WWE, though he reiterated his interest in working with her.

"It's funny because every now and then I wake up and I look at either social media or the news and I see a report and it's like, well, that's news to me because I'm the one who would be having that conversation," he told CBS Sports' In This Corner podcast.

However, on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Bill Hanstock of Uproxx), David Meltzer noted there is "a lot of Ronda Rousey talk" backstage. He also noted something a lot of fans noticed: Asuka has switched over from using the Asuka Lock to using an arm bar to finish opponents. The arm bar is Rousey's signature move.

Perhaps this is the end goal, to have Rousey square off against the most dominant woman on the WWE roster in an arm bar versus arm bar showdown.

WWE has an upper hand in the ongoing negotiations. Rousey is a superstar, but she is not the same undefeated woman who flipped Triple H at WrestleMania 31 and threatened to break Stephanie McMahon's arm.

She's vulnerable now, and WWE may want to pay less for her; if the company does sign her, it might not be as believable to book her as a complete monster. Her back-to-back KOs went viral on social media and it's hard to live those down.

And if they do sign her and have her appear at the Royal Rumble, does WWE have her win the whole thing? It should depend on how often she wants to appear in the future.

If Rousey wants to make a go at pro wrestling and work full-time, then perhaps she should win (although she still needs one heck of a crash course in selling, hitting the ropes and ring psychology).

However, if it's only a single appearance at the Rumble followed by a marquee match at WrestleMania, then no. It's not worth throwing the entire women's roster under the bus for a single celebrity cameo.