What if Ronda Rousey returns at WWE SummerSlam 2019?

WWE had Wendi Richter front and center as an extremely popular star for a brief period in the 1980s and featured Alundra Blayze for a period of years atop its women’s division. The company has pushed Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, and to a lesser extent, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Alexa Bliss, and Asuka in high profile roles. But the company has never had a female star who could quite match the mainstream magnetism of Ronda Rousey.

The Baddest Woman on the Planet was already a celebrity based on her MMA career before signing with WWE—a status that instantly made her the most famous woman in WWE and the most instantly credible female fighter the company has ever had. She went on to have a remarkable year in the ring, exceeding expectations for a first-year performer’s skills and, in kayfabe, going undefeated, including holding the Raw Women’s Championship for the better part of a year.

Rousey hasn’t been seen or heard from on the WWE landscape since dropping her first fall to Becky Lynch in the main event of WrestleMania 35. She publicly stated in a number of interviews that the WWE schedule was more grueling than she anticipated, and Rousey has also indicated she wants to have children. But what if, after a few months away, she were to make a return—however momentary—to WWE, starting at SummerSlam? This article takes a look at what that could mean.

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#5 Costing Becky Lynch her title

Ronda Rousey's interference is one way of getting the title off of Becky Lynch.

Becky Lynch did a wonderful job of getting over with the opportunities afforded to her in the second half of 2018 and has carried that momentum into succeeding as one of WWE’s top stars in 2019. One of the awkward dynamics that comes with her working at the very top of the women’s division, however, is that it’s difficult for WWE to book a credible challenger opposite her. Lacey Evans worked reasonably well on account of her being an unknown commodity who didn’t bring the baggage of past losses with her into her program with The Man. The transition to a program between Lynch and Natalya has exposed WWE’s issues, though, for how hard it is to buy Natalya taking the title off of her.

The addition of Ronda Rousey into the SummerSlam proceedings, however, could offer a justifiable reason for Lynch to drop the title and reset the title picture on Raw. Be it via physical involvement, or offering a distraction, Rousey would be a natural fit to get involved in this match given her history as not only a rival to Lynch but also her well-established friendship with The Queen of Harts.

#4 Another championship reign

Whether she beats Becky Lynch or goes through Natalya, if Ronda Rousey is back she will probably be champion again soon.

Ronda Rousey is too credible of a performer for WWE to keep her away from the Women’s Championship picture for long. Moreover, while Lynch did get a big boost from pinning her at WrestleMania, that accomplishment was tempered by both the match being a triple threat and the clear flub when Rousey clearly had her shoulder up mid-way through the pin. As such WWE can waste little time in getting the title back on Rousey.

There’s some intrigue in another Rousey title reign, too, if only because we never really got to see her heel character fully play out. Many critics agreed that Rousey seemed most at home as a brash heel—a gimmick that in many ways mirrored her prime as an MMA fighter. Casting her as a Brock Lesnar-like dominant villain could offer an intriguing new dimension to women’s wrestling in WWE over the months to come.

#3 Putting over Lynch

Ronda Rousey technically put over Becky Lynch at WrestleMania but could do so in more decisive fashion.

Becky Lynch never got her one-on-one match with Ronda Rousey. It’s probably for the best that their originally planned showdown for Survivor Series 2018 never went down, given that it afforded more time for Lynch to continue gathering momentum, and led to her big WrestleMania moment. Nonetheless, Lynch’s spurious pin of the Baddest Woman on the Planet at ‘Mania far from resolved the issues between the two, nor did it firmly establish The Man as the better wrestler.

If Rousey were to return, it would invite WWE to revisit this issue. There’s a pretty natural story to be told of Rousey either helping Natalya take the title off of Lynch, or beating The Man herself. In either case, there’s certainly some appeal to Lynch chasing Rousey again, perhaps after getting beaten, only to take back her title. Such a story could easily find Lynch vs. Rousey heavily featured for the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania again, conceivably taking them all the way back to the WrestleMania main event spot.

#2 Appearing on SmackDown Live

Ronda Rousey may finally debut on SmackDown.

Ronda Rousey did a lot during her original WWE run. Her debut match saw her pummel Triple H and make Stephanie McMahon tap out. From there, she defeated Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship and turned back challenges from not only Bliss but Nia Jax, Sasha Banks and Bayley. Her victory over Nikki Bella got the honor of headlining the first all women’s PPV last fall.

One thing Rousey did not do? Wrestle on SmackDown.

Rousey was always a Raw Superstar, and it was only after she disappeared from the WWE landscape that the Wild Card Rule took effect, and WWE grew increasingly fluid in blurring the brand lines. While Rousey feels as though she’d be best served to stay on Raw, particularly for her unfinished business with Lynch, coming back now would invite the scenario of Rousey appearing for the blue brand, particularly as it makes the jump to FOX this fall.

#1 Another PPV main event

Ronda Rousey can be counted on for another main event if she returns to WWE.

WWE has had four women’s matches main event main roster PPVs to date, and Ronda Rousey has been a part of half of those matches. She headlined Evolution with Nikki Bella, then went on to be one-third of the first women’s match to close a WrestleMania.

There’s little doubt now that WWE will have women main event PPVs again. Becky Lynch, in particular, is a big enough star to justify it, as illustrated by her being a staple player to get to the first mixed tag PPV main event at Extreme Rules, alongside Seth Rollins. But Ronda Rousey? She remains a talent who not only makes sense in the main event from a kayfabe and hardcore fans’ perspective but who also has the legitimate potential to draw in casual and non-fans who have followed her from her MMA days. If Rousey does come back at SummerSlam, there’s a good chance we’ll see her close out a PPV this fall or winter.