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Well, it's official! Ronda Rousey officially turned heel in the main event of RAW on 4th March. With just over a month left to WrestleMania, this was certainly one turn we didn't expect on this crazy road.
Just to give a quick recap, in the middle of the show, Stephanie McMahon announced that after Ronda Rousey placed the RAW Women's title on the floor, the title was officially vacated, and as a result, Becky Lynch's suspension has been lifted too. She announced that Becky vs Charlotte Flair would happen at Fastlane for the vacant RAW Women's Championship - under one condition.
Becky had to sign a hold harmless agreement to sign off on the fact that if/when she gets hurt at Fastlane, she won't be able to sue WWE. That didn't stop her from signing the contract anyway, but Rousey stormed out and claimed the title back.
She then turned on the fans and began a brutal assault on Becky Lynch, cementing a shocking heel turn. Here's why Rousey turned heel after a full year with the company.
#5. She was getting booed already
While she was quite a respected babyface for a while, in this feud, she was never going to be preferred over Becky Lynch. Lynch is the bonafide fan favourite in this rivalry, and WWE knew that Ronda Rousey was getting booed.
We've seen instances where she was clearly riled up the crowd, and while she's great, she lacks the mic skills to be able to handle that situation as many other superstars have done in the past.
However, with Rousey likely getting increasingly booed by the week, WWE probably just decided that it was better to turn her heel and give fans a reason to boo her. They wouldn't want to repeat the same thing that happened with Roman Reigns.
#4. To show her "real" side
Ronda Rousey may be a megastar from her UFC days, but with her WWE run, it was often forgotten of the dislikeable personality that she had displayed prior to joining WWE.
Sure, in WWE she's always been the woman who was living her dreams and elevating other women, but back in her UFC/MMA days, she got a lot of detractors and for very specific reasons. For one, she would display a brash, cocky attitude towards her opponents, often not even taking them as seriously as she should have.
The fact that she dealt with her two losses in UFC so badly only made people dislike her further, because they wanted to see someone who would bounce back from her defeat. We never really got to see the dislikeable side of Rousey, but the fact of the matter is that she's most likely a natural heel, and WWE probably wants to play up on that.
#3. To potentially call-up the Four Horsewomen
This is one that we genuinely hope isn't true. We know that WWE has had long discussions about a Four Horsewomen vs Four Horsewomen feud, but in reality, only two out of the four women are really ready for the big stage.
However, if it is true, then Rousey's heel turn can serve as a platform to debut the three other Horsewomen - Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke. Three of them are on NXT, with Baszler being the leader of the crew as NXT Women's Champion.
Having the Four Horsewomen by her side would only further elevate her status as a heel, and would make for a massive storyline on the biggest stage of them all. As we said, it's a nice idea on paper, and one that should be reserved for a later point, but as of now, it's definitely not the time to pull the trigger on this storyline.
#2. To put over Becky Lynch more as a babyface
Becky Lynch has now singled herself out as the only babyface in this rivalry. She was a heel briefly last year, but her popularity skyrocketed to the extent that she became the hottest superstar on the roster, with WWE forced to quietly turn her babyface again.
Ever since then, she lost the SmackDown Women's title (and the rematch), but it was a step up for her, as she won the Royal Rumble match and now has the opportunity to secure her spot at WrestleMania 35.
Naturally, Becky will win and go on to take her spot in the main event. Given that she's the hottest thing going in the women's division, Rousey's heel turn may have been done to further put over Becky Lynch as an underdog.
You can believe that Rousey will have no problem in taking the fall for Lynch at WrestleMania 35.
#1. To set up a major heel run in the future
We all know the rumours that Ronda Rousey's run in WWE this time probably won't last past WrestleMania 35. The reason for this is because of her desire to start a family. If that is the case, it means that she'll be off TV for over a year at the very least.
Not that she'll be retired for good, but she could still come back and make part-time apperances as well. With Rousey, there's so much potential that's yet to be tapped, and with a heel turn, WWE may already be setting up future plans for her.
Rousey could have an epic heel run at some point in the future, going on a dominant monster run. By then, we're sure that the Shafir and Duke will be ready as well, and the Four Horsewomen vs Four Horsewomen feud could eventually happen.
