Opinion: Is WWE already preparing for Ronda Rousey's departure?
The Baddest Woman On The Planet Ronda Rousey could be preparing to take her leave from the WWE, perhaps not in the near future, but within' a good year or two. Taking a look back, she's had a great rookie year for the WWE, regardless of the love or the hate she has received from the WWE Universe since she stepped through those ropes almost a year ago at the conclusion of the 2018 Royal Rumble event.
Ronda has been known to do things within' a cycle, which includes her MMA/UFC career and so, therefore, we can expect she may do the same with the WWE once her time is up. She had a great career for UFC, but once her MMA career began to die down and her jets were cooled following the end of her previous unbeaten streak.
Ronda began looking elsewhere, therefore it was natural for her to make the jump to the WWE; based on her prior cameo appearances for the company and being a lifelong fan of the product.
In review, Rousey made her debut at the Royal Rumble (2018) to a relatively positive reaction. She would immediately be signed to the RAW Brand and began her WrestleMania storyline with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, picking up where the three had left off from her one-off appearance at WrestleMania (31) just two years priors, when Rousey had humiliated both of them in front of over 100,000+ fans in Dallas, TX.
The match was made official at WWE Fastlane (2018), where Rousey signed the contract and slammed Triple H through a table. Shortly thereafter, the match was made into a Mixed Tag Team bout, with Rousey choosing WWE Hall of Famer and then RAW General Manager Kurt Angle as her tag partner. The two would be victorious over "The Authority" as WrestleMania (34) in what an impressive match that gave Rousey credibility.
Much to the dismay of the doubters, she would make infrequent appearances on RAW, more so than Brock Lesnar ever did to eliminate that nasty comparison. Her next storyline came with Nia Jax challenging her to a RAW Women's Title match at Money in the Bank (2018).
The match ended with Rousey winning the match via disqualification after Alexa Bliss had interfered, cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase, then capturing the title from Nia. This led to Rousey being suspended for 30 days (kayfabe) by Kurt Angle following her assault on WWE officials the next night out of anger and frustration.
Rousey would make her return shortly before SummerSlam (2018), challenge Alexa Bliss to a title match and defeat her in a squash match to become the new champion.
She would go on to continue her on/off feud with Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax, embark on a brief feud that would lead into the first all-women's pay-per-view event WWE Evolution (2018) with the Bella Twins, where Rousey would defeat Nikki Bella in the main event to retain her RAW Women's Championship.
After the event, she would be automatically booked into one of the hottest and most anticipated matches of 2018, where she was scheduled to face SmackDown Live Women's Champion Becky Lynch at the Survivor Series (2018).
The match was not meant to be at this time, however, as Becky would suffer a broken nose and a severe concussion just a week before the show. This would cause a quick switch, as Becky would choose Charlotte Flair to be her replacement. At the Survivor Series, Rousey would win the match by disqualification after Charlotte "snapped" and brutally attacked her with a kendo stick.
Rousey would recover from her injuries and finish up an old rivalry with Nia Jax at WWE TLC after Nia had earned a shot at Rousey for the title by winning a Battle Royal at WWE Evolution (2018).
Rousey would defeat Nia to retain the championship, then play a decisive factor in costing Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair the SmackDown Live Women's Championship, as she pushed both women off the ladder to allow for Asuka to climb up and capture the title.
The effects of this match is setting up for WrestleMania 35, next year, as it is strongly rumoured that we will be seeing a Triple Threat match taking place between Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch in what would be a history-making match that could close out WrestleMania. Take this as speculation rather than fact, ladies and gentlemen, at this time.
Ronda would recently defeat her best friend Natalya on the Christmas Eve edition of Monday Night RAW to retain her championship and continue her unbeaten streak.
Ronda Rousey will be defending her RAW Women's Championship at the Royal Rumble on January 27th, 2019 against an opponent yet to be determined. Perhaps we may see another rematch between her and Natalya, or even against a new contender such as Ruby Riott, who is due for a Women's Title match.
As we close out the year, you can clearly see that Ronda Rousey has made her mark on the WWE Women's Division and may continue to do so... in the short term. She has plans to start a family with her husband and wants to enjoy a comfortable family life away from the ring. This could mean a rather abrupt or premature departure from the squared circle entirely from Rousey if this were to happen sooner than later.
No matter what happens, we here at Sportskeeda wish Ronda Rousey all the best in 2019.
How do you see Ronda Rousey fairing in 2019? Do you think she will be retiring from the WWE anytime soon? Let us know in the comments below.