You can add first women’s main event at WrestleMania to Ronda Rousey’s long list of accomplishments. But will it also signal the end of her WWE career?
Ronda Rousey is making history yet again as part of the first women’s match to headline a WrestleMania in the history of the WWE. For weeks it was a question as to whether a ‘Triple Threat’ match between Rousey, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch would be placed in the April 7th main event slot. This Monday morning, the WWE Public Relations Twitter account made it official:
Breaking: For the first time in @WWE history, a women’s match will be the main event of @WrestleMania! The historic Raw Women’s Championship match featuring @RondaRousey @MsCharlotteWWE @BeckyLynchWWE will take place on Sunday, April 7 at @MetLifeStadium and live on @WWENetwork pic.twitter.com/rPkvWtuaCZ
— WWE Public Relations (@WWEPR) March 25, 2019
Rousey, a 2008 Olympic judo broze medalist, switched over to mixed martial arts in 2010 when women were still considered something of a sideshow attraction. She quickly established a name for herself with several quick armbar wins that took her less than a minute to land. That caught Strikeforce president Scott Coker’s attention, and he brought her into his organization where she took the women’s bantamweight belt of Miesha Tate in 2012.
Soon after, the UFC bought Strikeforce and made the decision to import Rousey and start their own women’s division, a major shift in policy considering Dana White had earlier said women would “never” fight for him. Rousey became one of the biggest stars in the sport, edged out in pay-per-view buys only by Conor McGregor. Even with that, White insisted she had more mainstream popularity than McGregor.
Two bad losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes in 2015 and 2016 ended RouseyMania in the MMA world, but after a relatively quiet period where she focused on her appearance in movie and TV rolls, she signed a deal with the WWE in January of 2018. Questions surrounding her pro wrestling abilities were answered after her first match at WrestleMania 34, which was a smashing success. Rousey would go on to win the Raw Women’s Championship at Summerslam in August and headline the first all-women WWE event, Evolution, in October.
I came. I saw. I changed the game.
Three women are going to headline #Wrestlemania this year.
•
I won’t hold my breath expecting any thank yous, but you’re all welcome anyway. #MRSwrestlemania
•https://t.co/k4IrxSiFbX— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) March 25, 2019
Now she is once again part of a big first, headlining WrestleMania 35. While she shares that honor with fellow veteran wrestlers Flair and Lynch, it’s clear that Rousey was once again the high tide that raised all boats, putting the women’s divisions into the spotlight. Without her at the forefront, this wouldn’t be happening.
Interestingly enough, it’s unclear whether Rousey will continue to wrestle for the WWE following this match at WrestleMania. Rumors have her leaving the organization to start a family with her husband and fellow former UFC fighter Travis Browne. As usual, the line between fiction and reality have been blurred as the road to WrestleMania features an angry Rousey sounding disillusioned by pro wrestling and breaking keyfabe at every turn. What lays in her future is uncertain, but her impact in the WWE is already quite clear.