It’s hard for me to believe this, but there are rumors already circulating that WWE is planning a match between Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey as the headline event at WrestleMania 34 next year. Just one week removed from a solid card in New Orleans and the rumor mill is full of thoughts how the “Show of Shows” should close out the night in April.
Thank the Internet and marks for starting the train early on this one.
Daniel Wood of Sportskeeda got the ball rolling on the speculation, adding why he believed Charlotte Flair dropped her title to Carmella two nights after beating Asuka and ending the Empress of Tomorrow’s winning streak.
“The initial reaction to this is one of confusion,” writes Wood. “Why would WWE have Charlotte end a two-year unbeaten streak to defend her title only to have her lose it two days later against someone like Carmella who hasn’t been a legitimate threat for months?”
He added…
“But what if this is all part of the plan? There have been reports that the WWE are looking at Charlotte vs Ronda Rousey to main event WrestleMania 35 and this could be the start of how we get there.”
WWE has built the women’s division on both Raw and SmackDown Live as one of the best the company has ever had. Once thought to be fodder for channel flipping and reasons to turn off the television screen, the “revolution” Paige began, and Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Bayley continued, has now become as vital to Monday and Tuesday night programming as the men on both brands.
The Flair-Rousey confrontation is one certainly to sell tickets and would be a highlight of the show in New Jersey. And like Hell in a Cell from two years ago between Flair and Banks, it could close out WrestleMania 35.
But having the “Queen” of wrestling on a year-long track to face the former UFC champion might be a bit premature. Also, having Flair, Rousey and Asuka on the same brand following a Superstar Shakeup would undoubtedly leave the balance of power on the red brand. The one thing WWE has been able to do of late is balance the booking options for the women’s division because of the strong rosters on both sides and the rise of former NXT talent.
Rousey was impressive in her first match on WWE soil, in a mixed tag team match with Kurt Angle against Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. But there is no other opponent for Rousey on the roster at this time and she has only been in once match so far. How will she fare against Banks, Asuka, Mandy Rose or anyone else WWE throws her way?
Charlotte Flair is still considered the best female wrestler on WWE’s roster. Rousey would have to show her ability to perform at a high level on a consistent basis and work on her promo skills for this kind of dream match to take place in the next year.