To Save Her WWE Career, Ronda Rousey Needs To Become A Part-Time Champion
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There is no denying that Ronda Rousey’s name does still hold some reverence, and when matched up with the correct opponent, she can steal the show. However, her recent run in WWE has been quite underwhelming to say the least, and it has seen her stock drop quite substantially. Whether it be needless losses to the likes of Charlotte Flair and Liv Morgan, or poor matches against the likes of Shotzi, things just haven’t been going too well during her run as SmackDown Women’s Champion, making for quite an up and down year. To salvage her image and momentum, WWE should do something they should have done a while ago - make Ronda a part-timer.
Ronda Rousey’s Second WWE Stint Has Been A Letdown
Initially, Ronda Rousey was brought into WWE as a special attraction, competing at WrestleMania 34 in the match of the night. She would go on to become Raw Women’s Champion, with the year seeing her dominate in convincing fashion, and having great matches against the likes of Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks. At times, her mic skills did let her down, but WWE managed to make her still feel like a big deal due to quick and decisive wins, and big PPV clashes.
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Since her return in 2022, Rousey hasn’t been protected in the same way with a lot of lost momentum, and some of this has come down to both performances and booking. Her fairly clean loss at WrestleMania 38 felt pointless, with it being just the second time she’d ever been pinned. She won the SmackDown Women’s Title just a month later, so her suffering a loss felt a little pointless. Her presence on TV over the last year, competing against many on the SmackDown roster has been nice, but it has unfortunately diminished her special attraction nature.
Another loss against Liv Morgan, and various poor matches against those who aren’t as well polished as the Four Horsewomen, Rousey has been made to look not as strong, and her weaknesses have been highlighted too, both from an in-ring perspective and a character perspective. Her first stint showed that she needed a mouthpiece, but WWE have allowed the same issues to crop up again this time round by not giving her a manager.
Ronda Rousey Should Be Booked Similar To Brock Lesnar
SmackDown’s women’s division has been run thin, so WWE have leaned on Rousey’s name value, but in order to ensure that she remains in WWE as a draw, something needs to change in her on-screen schedule. Rousey’s matches this year against the likes of Liv Morgan and Shotzi haven’t been very high profile or high quality, so keeping her from competing, unless it's a big match against a more well rounded performer, could help her regain her star power.
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To have someone doing her talking for her, hyping her up to be a legit threat and dominant champion, and only competing on her terms and whenever she wants, is perfect for the type of performer she is, with her coming in from the UFC with an established brand and name. She should have really been presented like Brock Lesnar when he returned to WWE in 2012, as his part-time status allowed him a decade's worth of big matches. At times, fans have gotten a little tired of him, but if he was full-time, his run in WWE would have likely been worse. It isn’t too late though for Rousey if WWE takes some time and care when booking her.
A Part-Time Career Will Ensure Ronda Rousey’s WWE Longevity
It seems as though Rousey will hold her current title until WrestleMania 39 before dropping it, likely leaving once again, much like she did four years prior at WrestleMania 35. She does have value though, and there are plenty of big matches that fans still want to see from her - for instance against the likes of Shayna Baszler, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Asuka, and more. Rousey should return for bigger events and bigger matches, rather than wrestling weekly against lower card performers. This will improve her in the ring, but she is proven to work better when she has longer to work on certain matches - with a shining example being her well-practiced debut.
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When looking at her current title reign, it hasn’t been all that good, and much of that is due to the poor quality of matches, less impactful feuds, and lack of star power in her opponents. Building matches up for longer will benefit Rousey’s defenses, because her recent feud with Shotzi for instance just wasn’t anything special, and it has received a lot of backlash after a poor match, with the rating on cagematch.net indicative of how fans viewed it. Rousey’s fortunes can change even whilst being full-time, but WWE should consider changing her to a part-timer to ensure the longevity of her career too.
