WWE Rumor Mill: Reason behind Ronda Rousey wrestling sparsely in WWE
What’s the story?
On a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio, the reason behind Ronda Rousey wrestling sparsely in WWE was discussed.
Apparently, the belief is that the WWE intends to present Rousey as a special attraction. Besides, the promotion’s booking of Rousey’s top-notch matches was also expounded upon.
In case you didn’t know…
Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey officially debuted as a WWE Superstar earlier this year.
Rousey is widely regarded as an MMA icon and is a UFC Hall-of-Famer—besides also being considered one of the biggest box office attractions in combat sports history.
The heart of the matter
One ought to note that the WWE has refrained from having Ronda Rousey wrestle regularly on its television as well as live event programming—with Rousey mostly working tag team matches at house shows and largely making TV appearances without actually wrestling a match per se.
Veteran professional wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer addressed WWE’s sparse booking of Rousey; stating—
“They did tags (tag team matches at house shows). It was Ronda & Natalya against Alicia Fox & Alexa Bliss. Natalya worked almost the entire match, and Ronda got the hot tag.”
“(Her performance) lasted about 45 seconds. Ronda did a judo throw and armbar on Alicia Fox. They are protecting Ronda…On these shows you’d want to give her more time than less time (wrestling), but they’re trying to keep Ronda special.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Additionally, Meltzer elucidated that Rousey’s matches—despite her having wrestled only a handful of bouts thus far in WWE—are excellent and probably better than most other matchups in the WWE Women’s Division.
Furthermore, Meltzer explained that Rousey’s matches are laid out meticulously—adding that she’s often at the WWE Performance Center training for her matches.
What’s next?
Ronda Rousey is presently set to face WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss for the latter’s title at SummerSlam.
WWE’s SummerSlam PPV is scheduled to transpire at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on August 19th.
The vast majority of professional wrestling experts note that WWE putting forth Rousey matches sporadically is working well for the company, particularly since the fans view the Rowdy One as a special attraction on the odd occasion when she wrestles a match.
What are your thoughts on WWE’s booking of Ronda Rousey? Sound off in the comments!