During the Royal Rumble 2022 premiere live event hosted by WWE, Ronda Rousey made her return to WWE programming. It was almost after three long years that the former RAW Women’s Champion was seen on WWE TV. Not only she did appear in the 30-woman Rumble match but also ended up winning it to confirm her spot at Wrestlemania 38.
Ronda Rousey won the Women’s Royal Rumble match by eliminating SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair in the end. Apparently, this was a move to set up the upcoming Wrestlemania match between the two.
Ronda Rousey To Team With Bitter Rival And Top WWE Smackdown Superstar
It’s been noted in a recent episode of the Wrestling Observer Radio that Ronda Rousey is booked to compete in the next two Wrestlemania events. The two ‘Mania opponents mentioned for her are given below:
WrestleMania 38 – Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
WrestleMania 39 – Becky Lynch
Ronda Rousey Set For WWE Smackdown Debut On February 4
Ronda Rousey to be a part of WWE Smackdown brand
The source also noted that Ronda Rousey is set to be back as a regular on SmackDown and thus it’s justified that SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair will be her next target. Word is still going around Rousey vs. Lynch but that match has been pushed back for a year. The belief is that this big-time match will be saved up for Wrestlemania in Hollywood, next year.
As for the WWE contract status update for Ronda Rousey, reports already suggested that she is staying with the company for more than a year. Contract specifics are yet to be revealed, but this new deal is not just for The Rumble and a WrestleMania 38 storyline. While it remains to be seen if she will be used every single week, she is likely to be a regular fixture.
The UFC Hall of Famer’s original deal reportedly expired in April of 2021. Hence, either a new deal was put together or WWE froze her original three-year deal as she worked only one-third of it.
The Observer added that FOX Officials are seemingly happy about the mainstream superstar’s return to WWE programming, “FOX is really happy they got Ronda Rousey on their show.” Apart from this, the Men’s Rumble winner Brock Lesnar will also work on Smackdown leading up to Wrestlemania 38. Hence, the Friday night show will have massive star power in weekly episodes.
