What if Cris Cyborg comes to WWE?
Ronda Rousey enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of the MMA world. As her numerous UFC main event fights will attest, there was a time when she was every bit as big a draw as her male counterparts, and quite feasibly the biggest draw the sport had.
One of the more intriguing matchups that never materialized for Rousey was a fight with Cris Cyborg. Cyborg was one of the few women whose stature in MMA could compare to Rousey’s. However, the duo often fought for different companies or in different weight classes and these sort of logistics meant that the fight didn’t materialize. From there, Rousey suffered her back to back devastating losses that seemingly ended her MMA career.
There is still an opportunity for Rousey and Cyborg to come to blows, though, not in a shoot fight, but in the controlled environment of a WWE ring. Rumor has it WWE is considering Cyborg for a WrestleMania 35 match. This article looks at what that might mean.
#5. Rousey in kayfabe peril
One of the main challenges of successfully booking Ronda Rousey has been that so few women on the WWE roster can believably compete with her. Stephanie McMahon benefited from Rousey never having worked a match before, Nia Jax had a clear size advantage to lean on, and Alexa Bliss has the champion’s advantage.
Feuds with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair at least have some fire behind them, but WWE is nonetheless running out of women whom fans could buy standing any chance against the Baddest Woman on the Planet.
Cris Cyborg could present a credible challenge.
Indeed, Cyborg is one of the few women in the world who would probably be the favorite to beat Rousey in a shoot fight. This would create a great deal of intrigue going into a WrestleMania scenario in which Rousey has more experience in a WWE ring, but not that much more. It’s a rare opportunity to legitimately present her as an underdog.