Huge Ronda Rousey WrestleMania Match Now “Very Unlikely”

Ronda Rousey was originally scheduled for a big match at WrestleMania in April, but it’s considered “very unlikely” now.

Last week on the final Smackdown of 2022, Ronda Rousey successfully defended the Smackdown Women’s Title against Raquel Rodriguez. It was a tough match for Rousey, but she found a way to beat the win over her bigger opponent.

Immediately after Rousey’s win, Charlotte Flair made her WWE return for her first appearance in over seven months. Flair, who had on some new-look ring gear, immediately challenged Rousey on the spot to a title match and Rousey accepted the challenge even though she had just had a difficult title match. It ended up being a big mistake by Rousey because Flair hit her with a Spear, Rousey countered it into an armbar and Flair rolled up Rousey while grabbing the tights for the pinfall win in about 40 seconds.

Charlotte Flair is now a 14-time Women’s Champion in WWE and the current Smackdown Women’s Champion. Rousey held the title for just over two months.

It was reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter by Dave Meltzer that the “title change was a late plan as Rousey was scheduled for a different direction.” It was noted that in the PPV lineups that were preliminarily made out in mid-November that went through WrestleMania, Rousey was still to be the champion originally.

Rousey returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble last year after giving birth in September 2021. While Rousey was not advertised for the Women’s Royal Rumble match, she was heavily rumored to be there and became the odds-on favorite to win the match, which she did.

It was noted by Meltzer that the plan for Rousey was to face Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 38 and at WrestleMania 39 she would be against Becky Lynch, but those plans did change.

“Regarding WrestleMania, when Rousey came back last year the idea was to work with Flair at the 2022 Mania and with Lynch in 2023. Long-term plans always change and right now there has been nothing in the Rousey vs. Lynch direction. Right now it is very unlikely that match will take place at this coming Mania.”

There have been rumors about Rousey potentially facing Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania, but those are not confirmed and with both women as heels currently, it may not happen either.