Royal Rumble 2023 is at the doorstep, and the show is rumored to have a lot of surprise returns. The mega event will be featuring two traditional Royal Rumble matches, one for men and one for women superstars. However, with big names like Cody Rhodes and Edge set to return, there are suspicions regarding one main eventer. And it’s none other than Ronda Rousey who is not advertised for the 2023 women’s Royal Rumble match.
Several past reports have asserted that WWE has no plans for Ronda Rousey at this year’s Royal Rumble. Though nothing was said about why the former SmackDown Women’s Champion will be missing. Well, during a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer tried to explain why.
WWE didn’t want to marginalize the star power of Ronda Rousey by booking her in the Royal Rumble
Ronda Rousey was rumored to defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Raquel Rodriguez at Royal Rumble 2023. However, there was a change in plans on the 30 December, episode of SmackDown. Charlotte Flair returned during the show and won the title from Rousey. Since then, The Baddest Woman On The Planet hasn’t appeared on WWE TV.
According to Meltzer, there’s a specific reason behind WWE not booking Ronda Rousey at this year’s Royal Rumble. He believes the management is avoiding marginalizing her star power by featuring her on the show. Dave Meltzer further noted that WWE doesn’t want to book her in a match where she will not be the main attraction.
There are also a few reports that claim the former SmackDown Women’s Champion will be making an appearance this Saturday. In a list that was leaked last week, Ronda Rousey was placed as the no. 29 entrant. However, as of now, it seems she won’t be appearing.
The Baddest Woman On The Planet recently lost her SmackDown Women’s Championship in a shocking manner
Ronda Rousey was featured in the title picture of the blue brand throughout 2022. At WrestleMania Backlash, she defeated Charlotte Flair for SmackDown Women’s Title in an “I Quit Match”. Though the reign was not long as she lost the title to Liv Morgan at the Money In The Bank PPV.
Then again at Extreme Rules, Rousey became a 2-time SmackDown women’s champion by defeating Mogan. But the last SmackDown of 2022 proved to be a bad one for The Baddest Woman.
On the show, Charlotte Flair made her return to the company and immediately confronted Rousey. She, in fact, shocked everyone by winning the SmackDown Women’s Title in an impromptu match.
Nevertheless, it seems Ronda Rousey will be lying low for a while now. However, with the road to WrestleMania 39 beginning this Saturday, WWE would not want to keep her out for too long.
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