WWE Royal Rumble 2018: The Case Against Ronda Rousey’s Debut
By Warren Hayes
WWE may be on the verge of adding Ronda Rousey to its active roster, but it won’t be in a surprise match at the Royal Rumble.
I do not believe Ronda Rousey should have her in-ring debut at the WWE’s 2018 Royal Rumble.
I make this initial statement, gentle reader, with a certain amount of dismay. If I am being completely honest, I didn’t even consider writing an article on this subject. That is, until I realized that many in Internet Wrestling Community™ are expecting (nay, hoping!) that Ms. Rousey not only competes in the Woman’s Royal Rumble Match as a surprise entrant (chortle) but go ahead and win the match (guffaw).
Therefore, let me guide you along into understanding why I believe she should not debut at the Royal Rumble.
https://twitter.com/mrwarrenhayes/status/952984129439748097?ref_src=twcamp%5Eshare%7Ctwsrc%5Eios%7Ctwgr%5Ecom.apple.mobilenotes.SharingExtension
There Isn’t Really Anything Unexpected
By golly, we graps fans love us the unexpected right? We go coo-coo crazy for big swerves or surprise events that catch us off guard. AJ Styles debut in WWE, Chris Jericho showing up in New Japan, CM Punk’s pipe bomb, Hall and Nash on Nitro…
But the difference here is that there isn’t really anything unexpected here. There’s nothing to catch us off-guard. Ronda Rousey joining the WWE isn’t a question of “Will she?” but wther “When are they pulling the trigger on it?” It’s all but been confirmed by WWE who have been sitting on the official announcement for just the right moment. Why are there such high levels of expectations?
And why are WWE waiting? Well…
WWE Wants Subs
One of WWE’s key success indicators and revenue streams is the number of subscriptions to the (award-winning™) WWE Network. In the post-pay-per-view era, these events that we still refer to as PPVs, like the Royal Rumble, are the main attraction to acquire new subscribers. Well, either that or Camp WWE. It’s a toss-up, I’m not sure. I’d need to compare numbers.
Let’s assume I’m in charge of booking events at WWE. I do not see why I would put together Ronda Rousey’s in-ring return to fighting sports without any buildup at all. It makes absolutely no sense. Why would I hand her inaugural WWE in-ring match to people who have already bought the product when I could potentially acquire a substantial amount of extra customers?
I would keep her out of the ring at Royal Rumble. I’d have her show up at Raw first. Maybe in the audience as an unexpected guest. Get her into an angle. Give it a slow build into a WrestleMania match while giving Raw a weekly ratings boost. Whatever the storyline may be, the important part is to give Ronda Rousey her first match on PPV, preferably at WrestleMania.
Love Ronda, hate Ronda, but people will give the Vince McMahon House of Hamfists their credit card deets to not miss out on her return to the ring. It shouldn’t be wasted as a “surprise.”
WWE.com
Gimmie That Sweet, Sweet Mainstream Attention
Ronda Rousey is a household name. In the time she spent destroying her competition in MMA her name and face became recognizable to even the “layest” of combat sports laymen. Sure she’s a talented fighter, but what’s attracting WWE to her is the Pavlovian response sports writers across the globe will inevitably have when they hear she’s returning to the ring. It won’t be in an MMA ring, but it will be a huge deal nonetheless. Vince and company are very much aware of this and are certainly eager to get this hype train out the gate.
But they also don’t want to burn this candle out too quickly. If they have something big planned for Rousey at WrestleMania, keep in mind that’s still in four months. WWE wants the momentum to be for wrestling’s yearly marquee event.
So either they bide their time and roll her out in a couple of weeks when the Road to WrestleMania is officially underway or they do it too soon and the buzz fizzles.
I also don’t think that most fans will be too keen on her having a Lesnar-esque, part-time schedule as well as a prime WM slot if that would be the WWE’s plan to keeping her “fresh.”
So in this light, I can meet most of you halfway and acquiesce that she might show up (not complete) at the Royal Rumble. That would give a publicity jolt for sure, spike the ratings for Raw the next night, but to me, it’s still too soon.
It Doesn’t Fit The Context
The final reason I don’t believe she will compete at the Women’s Royal Rumble Match is that it would be completely out of the context of the story the WWE is trying to tell with this match.
By the way, the story they’re trying to tell is that the match is “historical,” in case you haven’t been paying attention. At all.
This match is a celebration of the years of trailblazing by WWE/F women competitors. The spotlight will be entirely focused on the roster, past and current, their accomplishments and their future. Adding Rousey to the match would not only distract from this narrative but would hijack the match. Then, the next day, all wrestling media would have “Rousey Debuts” in their headlines, regardless of the outcome of the Women’s Royal Rumble Match:
“Lesnar Retains, Rollins Wins Rumble, Rousey Debuts”
“Nakamura Wins Men’s Rumble, Rousey Debuts In Women’s Rumble”
“Natalya Turns Into Actual Cat, Rousey Debuts”
You could argue that Rousey-centric headlines are the kind of mainstream attention the WWE wants out of all this, and trumps whatever WWE is doing to cater to its fans. That kind of thinking is a slippery slope. In the eyes of the mainstream media, the story will not be a historical moment in wrestling, but the debut of one of combat sport’s most recognizable athletes ever.
And as far as winning the match goes, it would be detrimental to her going forward if she were to win over the Sashas and the Beckys and the Asukas. The live crowd would not stand for it.
Next: Ranking The Top 10 Female Superstars Of 2017
A surprise in-ring debut at the Royal Rumble is not prime for Ronda Rousey. For her WWE presence to be more than just a quick flash, she needs to have proper build-up, she needs to have her first match on a superhyped pay-per-view, and she needs to debut on an occasion that does not have as much gravitas as the Women’s Royal Rumble Match does.
Now all I hope is that WWE feels the same what I do.