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At WWE Extreme Rules, Ronda Rousey challenged Liv Morgan for the SmackDown Women's Championship in an Extreme Rules Match. This was the third match these two ladies had in the span of two months.
Liv Morgan shocked the wrestling world by cashing in her Money in the Bank contract after Ronda Rousey defeated Natalya at Money in the Bank. The victory caught the former UFC star by surprise and kickstarted their fierce rivalry.
A month later, the two had their rematch at SummerSlam. Rousey had Morgan locked in the Armbar submission. However, Morgan was able to counter and pin Rousey to get the victory in controversial fashion.
At WWE Extreme Rules last night, both women gave it everything they had inside the squared circle. Liv Morgan put her mind, body, heart, and soul into this match. However, Ronda Rousey had her opponent's number on speed dial as she walked out of the event as the new SmackDown Women's Champion.
With that said, let's look at five possible directions for our new SmackDown Women's Champion, Ronda Rousey.
#5. WWE Extreme Rules may not be the end of the Liv Morgan-Ronda Rousey saga
Liv Morgan and Ronda Rousey have established quite a feud in the past few months. While Morgan slipped by Rousey with two key victories at Money in the Bank and SummerSlam, she lost the title at Extreme Rules after passing out due to the pain inflicted from a vicious submission hold.
The match's finish opens the door for one last battle. With WWE Crown Jewel just around the corner, this would be the perfect environment to conclude this epic rivalry. What type of match could it be? There's only one structure that can settle this score, and that's Hell in a Cell.
Hell in a Cell is the modern way of settling a feud, as fans saw Edge and Seth Rollins do the same a year ago at Crown Jewel (2021). If WWE wanted to have one final bout between Ronda Rousey and The Miracle Kid, it should take place inside this satanic structure.
#4. Her next challenger could be someone she knows all too well
One possible direction or opponent for Ronda Rousey is a challenge from a friend. Someone who knows Rousey better than anyone on the WWE roster: Shayna Baszler.
The two superstars crossed paths over a month ago during Rousey's feud with Liv Morgan. Clearly, both Rousey and Baszler had a common enemy in the former women's champion. Now that she is out of the picture, Baszler can set her sights on her friend to take the one title she has yet to capture - the SmackDown Women's Championship.
One thing is for certain. The battle between Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler would be one for the record books.
#3. Rivalry Renewed: The Queen returns to reclaim her throne
Charlotte Flair took time off following her last match against Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania Backlash. Rousey captured the SmackDown Women's Championship after "injuring" The Queen. She suffered a fractured radius at the hands of The Baddest Woman on the Planet during their previous outing.
Flair has had all the time in the world to sit at home and stew over her next plan of action. Based on how things ended for The Queen, it's safe to say that a return to the blue brand to confront Rousey and challenge for her title would make perfect sense.
WWE Crown Jewel is around the corner, and this would be the perfect time for the former women's champion to make her return to challenge The Rowdy One for the title.
#2. A powerful challenger who may take Ronda Rousey to her limits
Raquel Rodriguez has made a big splash on the WWE main roster after being called up from the NXT brand. She briefly held the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship alongside Aliyah. Not to mention that she's had a dominant run in NXT as a former Women's Champion and Tag Team Champion.
The matches we could see take place between Rousey and Raquel Rodriguez would be epic to watch. Rousey is a well-rounded in-ring technician and a submission expert based on her UFC background.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez is a powerhouse that is tough as nails and would be a credible new challenger for the new SmackDown Women's Champion.
The two Superstars wrestled each other before and had a thrilling contest on SmackDown months ago. That one bout is only the tip of the iceberg in what we could see from Ronda Rousey and Raquel Rodriguez on a bigger stage.
#1. WWE veteran and future Hall of Famer steps up for one last shot at the gold
Natalya is the cornerstone of WWE's women's division. She has practically done it all in the company but defeated Rousey in singles competition.
The two had an all-out war at Money in the Bank that saw Rousey defeat her rival to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship. That loss to the UFC legend must be a bitter pill for Natalya to swallow as she was so close to capturing the gold.
Rousey knows what to expect from Natalya and vice versa. They are obviously no strangers to each other inside the ring, and this is likely not the last time we will see Natalya challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
As long as Rousey holds the gold, you can bet that The Queen of Harts will be one Sharpshooter away from having one more championship run before her career is over.
