WWE Raw: Results, Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for January 29

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Okay, I’ll talk about Ronda Rousey now, since it appears she’s not going to physically be on WWE Raw tonight. When she showed up at the end of the Royal Rumble, I had two very distinct reactions, pretty much at the same time:

1. This is great for the WWE
2. This is terrible for the Women’s Revolution

You might be thinking, but how is that possible? If it’s such a good thing for the company, how could it be a negative for such a major part of the company? Well, it’s a big get for the amount of eyes it’s going to get on the product. Even the biggest cynics out there will admit that Rousey is a draw. She main evented UFC cards that drew incredibly well. Putting her in WWE with that media machine is a no brainer.

The fact that WWE is also negotiating for their next television rights package is important, too. If you were a TV network, wouldn’t you be more inclined to pay more if there was a larger number of viewers? Rousey – who signed a full-time deal – can bring those viewers in.

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But here’s the problem – a lot of those new viewers are not going to be looking for the same things on an episode of Raw or SmackDown than the current audience. When you’re doing things to bring in new viewers, you end up with “David Arquette, World Champion.” Of course, that’s worst case catastrophizing, but bad things happen when you try to pull in casual viewers.

With the Women’s Revolution, who do you think is going to be a bigger focus – Rousey, or Becky Lynch? Or Sasha Banks? Bayley? Ruby Riott? Point is, Rousey – while likely deserving – is going to suddenly swoop in and become the “savior” of the Women’s Revolution, despite all the work people before her put in. Again, maybe I’m too cynical, but that’s what I see happening.

I’d love nothing more than to be proven wrong. Ken Shamrock did the full-time switch years ago, and it worked out okay for everyone involved. But Rousey is a different situation, and I hope the real driving forces behind the Women’s Revolution don’t get lost in the shuffle.