From the WWE rumour mill: Stephanie shot on Ronda Rousey with a legitimate slap
What's the story?
WWE's Elimination Chamber pay-per-view saw the much-anticipated contract signing of Ronda Rousey. The contract signing did not go as smoothly as could be hoped, but Rousey signed the contract binding her to WWE.
During the segment, Rousey slammed Triple H through the table in the ring. She was then slapped by Hunter's wife, and the Chief Brand Officer of WWE, Stephanie McMahon.
While the entire segment was scripted, according to reports by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN on Twitter, Stephanie's slap was legitimate.
In case you didn't know...
Rumours were long rampant that Ronda Rousey would be signing a permanent contract with WWE.She made her first appearance during Wrestlemania 31 when she jumped the barrier to help the Rock in his confrontation with Triple H and Stephanie. She tossed Triple H out of the ring, and then turned to Stephanie, locking half an armbar before pushing her away.
More recently, she appeared in the Royal Rumble, declaring that she was ready to sign a full-time contract with WWE.
The heart of the matter
During her scheduled contract-signing at Elimination Chamber, Kurt Angle let it slip that Triple H and Stephanie planned to manipulate her and get their revenge for Wrestlemania 31 by binding her to a contract.
When Rousey found this out, Stephanie was backing out of the ring, when Triple H came to try and convince Rousey that Kurt Angle was mistaken. Rousey hit him with a Belly-to-Belly suplex through the table in the centre of the ring. Enraged at seeing Triple H treated in this manner, Stephanie came back into the ring and hit Ronda with a slap.
The entire segment was supposed to be scripted, but according to Ramona Shelby's tweet, the slap was a legitimate one, and people backstage at Elimination Chamber said that Ronda had a 'handprint welt' on her face.
What's next?
Ronda Rousey signed the contract after Stephanie left the ring. She may appear on Raw to clarify her intentions with the WWE fans and confront Triple H and Stephanie.
Author's take
This may lead to a Mixed Gender Tag Team Match between Triple H with Stephanie and Ronda with a mystery partner. The segment was awkward, but the ending sold the entire segment. Stephanie is known for not holding back slaps, and this was just another incident. While Rousey has been hit harder in her career, she may not take kindly to the slap if it had not been planned.