Ronda Rousey vs Shayna Baszler should be the main event of Evolution

After months of speculation it is finally official. The first ever all women’s event will take place on October 23rd. The options for the main event are endless. However, only one can really keep fans from multiple genres talking for years – Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler.

On Monday Night Raw, Stephanie McMahon made the announcement of “Evolution”. Over 50 women from past, present, and future will be participating in the event.  That means we can expect to see legends like Trish Stratus and Lita make an appearance.  Also, it only makes sense that we will see some of NXT’s top women make an impact on the show. After all, some of the best female athletes are in NXT as well. Enter Shayna Baszler, the current NXT Women’s Champion.

It is safe to assume that Ronda Rousey will dethrone Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship at Summerslam. It is hard to envision a scenario that Bliss can believably take down a former UFC superstar. Plus to be honest a screwy finish would put a pause on the momentum of the great story being told. If true, that means the rowdy one will need an opponent for Evolution. Shayna Baszler makes the most sense for a variety of reasons.

WWE wants this event to be absolutely historic. One of the best ways to do that is have a champion vs champion match. We do not get much of any between the women. Doing a Rousey vs Bliss rematch would be boring.  Carmella is wrapped up with the fiery Becky Lynch at the moment. Ronda transitioning into a feud with Carmella would be like going right back to Alexa Bliss. They are both explicitly coward heels. So that option is not exactly must see.

Theoretically they can book a dream match like Beth Pheonix vs Rousey or Michelle McCool vs Rousey. However, that would be a disservice to these women that have not wrestled in years. It is more wise to hide these retired women in tag team matches or a gimmick match of some kind.

Credit: WWE.com

Shayna Baszler would immediately be a fresh match up. The NXT women’s champion is one of the most pure heels in the company regardless of gender. She is legitimately dangerous with her MMA  background and submissions. Moreover, she can put doubt in the audience’s mind that Rousey can be conquered. Baszler is the perfect one-off FOIL for Ronda Rousey.

This is an era where we rarely get a clear-cut villain against a clear-cut hero. This match would provide that.  Behind the scenes the two members of the UFC four horsewomen would love the chance to steal the show.

Finally, the mainstream attention would be off the charts. Loyal devotees of the UFC will subscribe to the network just to see this spectacle play out. It is always beneficial when the company can steal fans from other areas. Platforms like ESPN will not be able to resist showing some highlights of these transcendent stars.

Evolution will be a night where all the women superstars are under one roof. They are THE show. That is more than enough of a reason to tune in. A main event like this will be the icing on the cake.