NXT star teases answering Ronda Rousey’s open challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship

Ronda Rousey plans to be a fighting champion on WWE SmackDown, and her next challenger might be NXT Superstar Nikkita Lyons.

The open challenge format was popularized in WWE by John Cena during his United States title run in 2015. Cena held weekly challenges on Monday Night RAW and faced people across both RAW and NXT in the process, which helped elevate the roster in the process.

Newly-crowned SmackDown Women's Champion Ronda Rousey looks to continue the open challenge format and started on Friday night as she competed against Raquel Rodriguez in a surprising back and forth matchup.

This has led to WWE asking who should be next to answer Rousey's open challenge on SmackDown. A member of the WWE Universe suggested NXT 2.0 Superstar Nikkita Lyons, a post that Lyons endorsed by retweeting it.

Nikkita Lyons is one of NXT's fastest rising stars and one of the favorites to win the ongoing NXT Women's Breakout Tournament. At only 22 years old, she looks to have an incredibly bright future in WWE. A match against Rousey for the SmackDown Women's title would elevate her even further.

Ronda Rousey had an impressive win over Raquel Rodriguez on WWE SmackDown

Ronda Rousey defeated Charlotte Flair in an I Quit match last Sunday at WrestleMania Backlash to capture the SmackDown Women's Championship for the first time.

The Baddest Woman on the Planet wasted no time implementing the open challenge on SmackDown and found herself with her hands full as she took on former NXT Women's Champion Raquel Rodriguez.

While many members of the WWE Universe expected a quick win by Rousey, Rodriguez had different plans. She took the SmackDown Women's Champion to her limit in the match, but ultimately came up short.

If Rousey can have matches like this with the women of WWE on a weekly basis, it could go a long way in strengthening the entire division as a whole.

What do you think of Rousey holding an open challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship? Did you enjoy her match against Raquel Rodriguez on Friday? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.