WWE Buy or Sell: Ronda Hurting Growth Of The Women’s Division
By Josh Raibick
For the past couple of weeks, the rumors have run rampant over what the plans are for Ronda Rousey. Another more important question has been, is Rousey’s participation going to negatively effect the growth of the Women’s division?
Just a couple of weeks ago as time was running out on another successful Royal Rumble, Asuka, the winner of the 2018 WWE Royal Rumble match, stood in the ring with two of her potential WrestleMania opponents. It was a groundbreaking moment as Asuka stared down both Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss after making history as the winner of the inaugural Women’s Royal Rumble match.
Then a familiar song played, and when “Bad Reputation” echoed throughout the arena, fans knew that the landscape of women’s wrestling would never be the same again. Rousey made her way into the ring, and with a simple finger point to the WrestleMania sign, the internet went crazy.
On one side of the coin, the next day water cooler talk involved the Women’s division. On the other side, some have wondered if Rousey is taking an opportunity from a more qualified superstar.
Let’s first take a look at what Rousey brings to the table. To start the name “Ronda Rousey” is recognized by the mainstream media. Whether you think Rousey is good or bad for the division is irrelevant, because a star of Rousey’s caliber is enticing potential fans to tune in.
Over the past couple of years declining ratings have been a major concern when discussing the current landscape of WWE. The current goal of WWE must be to grow their weekly audience, and the best way to do so is to bring in a mainstream star like Rousey.
Now fans who have a negative view on Rousey, do have valid points as well. When Rousey debuted on WWE television it was at the expense of Asuka’s “moment”. Every year where the Royal Rumble match went on last, the winner was the last image the audience saw before fading to black.
Even though Charlotte and Bliss were in the ring as well, it was Asuka that was challenging them. The entire theme of the post match festivities was around who The Empress of Tomorrow was going to challenge at WrestleMania.
Besides the events at the Royal Rumble another concern fans may also have is how good can Rousey really be in the ring come WrestleMania? We have all heard the stories about how superstars like Kurt Angle and Roman Reigns picked up the “business” faster than anyone.
The problem is neither Angle or Reigns debuted at WrestleMania or in the immediate build up to the biggest show of the year. So naturally from this point of view there are more qualified, experienced superstars in the Women’s division that deserve this spot over the former UFC Bantamweight Champion.
While I do recognize that those are all valid concerns against Rousey getting a top spot in WWE, I am going to have to SELL the idea that Rousey is hurting the Women’s division. Rousey’s impact on the Royal Rumble pay-per-view was evident by how the matches were placed on the card.
If Rousey was not going to appear after the Women’s Royal Rumble match, would that match have even gone on last? Think about it. As much as the Women’s division has improved over the past couple of years, are Sasha Banks, Asuka, and The Bella Twins as big of a draw as Reigns, John Cena, Finn Balor, and Shinsuke Nakamura?
That isn’t a fair question because the opportunities the latter four have received in the industry are much great than the other four superstars. So before you factor in Rousey, the men’s match would have to be the main event.
But with the addition of Rousey after the Women’s Royal Rumble, this gave an ace up the sleeve of the Women’s division that would propel them beyond the men to the main event of the card. These are the type of moves that will close the gap between the men and the women in WWE in the coming years.
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This is why I am BUYING Rousey’s ability to make women’s wrestling more credible, and I am SELLING the negative impact it has on the rest of the locker room. We are all entering the golden era of women’s wrestling, and Ronda Rousey is the first big piece of many to come.