5 Things Ronda Rousey can do after her sudden return on WWE RAW
Ronda Rousey made a surprise appearance on WWE RAW this week. The Baddest Woman on the Planet landed a sneak kick on Raquel Rodriguez. Shayna Baszler joined her tag team partner to deliver a beatdown on one-half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
The May 15, 2023, episode of WWE RAW marked Ronda Rousey’s first red brand appearance in nearly four years. She last competed on RAW in 2019, teaming up with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair to defeat The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott & Sarah Logan).
For those unaware, Ronda and Shayna were drafted to WWE RAW as part of the WWE Draft 2023. The duo had formed an alliance several months ago on SmackDown. They were reportedly set to be involved in a tag team title program at WrestleMania 39, but Ronda’s injury changed the course of action.
With the former RAW Women’s Champion back to being at her 100%, let’s look at five possible booking directions for her on the red brand.
#1. Win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles with Shayna Baszler
Ronda Rousey had been pushing for a tag team program with Shayna Baszler months before the two came together. She also pitched dropping the SmackDown Women’s Championship to Liv Morgan at Money in the Bank 2022.
With Liv currently out of action due to an injury, Ronda and Shayna could go straight after the Women’s Tag Team Championship. WWE is known to capitalize on real-life injuries to crown new champions, and the company can do the same at Night of Champions 2023.
#2. Run through the women’s tag team division
Ronda Rousey doesn’t need a title around her waist to prove her fighting credentials. She was the inaugural UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. Her fists speak louder than her words. The same can be said for her tag team partner and best friend, Shayna Baszler.
WWE has been struggling with its women’s tag team division lately, and Ronda and Shayna seem to be the perfect choices to alleviate the tag roster. Triple H needs to book the two women the same way he booked Shayna in his version of NXT.
#3. Participate in mixed tag and inter-gender matches
WWE has picked up steam with mixed matches ever since Triple H took over as the chief booker in July 2022. Rhea Ripley had a solid inter-gender match against Akira Tozawa on the December 19, 2022, episode of WWE RAW.
Click here to see our pick for the best WWE inter-gender matches.
Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler could run through the men's and women’s divisions by having mixed tag and intergender matches. The Baddest Woman on the Planet has shown in the past that she can make out an example of both men and women.
#4. Go after the RAW Women’s Championship
Ronda Rousey dropped the SmackDown Women’s Championship because she wanted to work in the tag team division.
So her going after the RAW Women’s Title may come off as an odd booking decision. That being said, Ronda is still a major draw, and she can be in contention for the singles title whenever WWE needs her in that coveted spot.
Plus, a program with Rhea Ripley could work wonders for Mami’s title reign, which has been underwhelming so far. Rousey doesn’t need to win the WWE RAW Women’s Championship, but she can always have a program with the top champion.
#5. Feud with Shayna Baszler
Tag teams are bound to go their separate ways. That’s how it is in the world of pro wrestling, and WWE is no stranger to that. The sports entertainment juggernaut has witnessed some of the worst betrayals in the history of the business. Check out Evolution’s betrayal of Randy Orton here for reference.
Ronda Rousey versus Shayna Baszler could be the long-term plan. The two women have dominated singles competition in WWE but haven’t wrestled against each other. It remains to be seen if Triple H will follow the old WWE logic and have the two partners turn against each other.