Those wanting Ronda Rousey in a WWE ring may be getting their wish sooner rather than later.
After the announcement on Monday Night RAW that there would be a women's Royal Rumble match at January's titular pay-per-view event, rumors began to swirl that Rousey could make her debut in the event. Those rumors were expounded upon in a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, where reporter Dave Meltzer said that Rousey debut is currently the prevailing rumor behind the match.
Meltzer did clarify, though, that he couldn't completely confirm that Rousey would be debuting in the event. However, Meltzer said that Rousey has been training at the WWE's Performance Center over the past several months, and that she is expected to debut with the company at some point in a wrestling capacity.
Rousey is the former UFC women's bantamweight champion, and she has already made a couple of appearances with WWE. The first of those was at WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara, where she and The Rock cleared Triple H and Stephanie McMahon from the ring. She also made an appearance in a backstage video where WWE teased a match between Rousey's "Four Horsewomen" (Rousey, Shayna Bazler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir) stable vs. the WWE's "Four Horsewomen" (Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Bayley).
SlamBuzz's Take
Rousey debuting in the women's Rumble would be a great way to make a statement in its first ever match, and it would be a great way for Rousey to be introduced to the main roster. It would also be a good way for Rousey to get some in-ring experience without being put in a long singles match, where she could easily look out of place.
This would also make sense from a promotion perspective, as WWE completely dropped their teasing between the two Horsewomen stables that had been building before Survivor Series. Having Rousey debut at the Rumble and win the event would be a much bigger deal than just a tag match, and it would give Rousey a chance to continue training more before a potential match at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans.