Ronda Rousey defeated Nia Jax in a highly entertaining matchup at WWE TLC to retain the Raw Women’s Championship. And while she only wrestled her sixth singles match on pay-per-view, Rousey’s biggest competition resides on the blue brand.
After her blockbuster Survivor Series matchup against rising star Becky Lynch was canceled, a feud which has since spilled over to Twitter, Rousey was victimized by an attack from Lynch’s understudy Charlotte Flair. It’s tough to imagine WrestleMania season coming and going without Rousey crossing paths with at least one of these women after essentially cleaning out the women’s division on Raw.
Despite Raw being WWE’s flagship, for women, that distinction belongs to SmackDown Live. Lynch’s meteoric rise has breathed life into the entire division and is indirectly to blame for the rehabilitation of Charlotte, who may or may not have turned heel as a replacement for Lynch. Asuka who is now back in the SmackDown Women’s title picture even finds herself with favorable +120 odds to capture her first main roster championship.
Not nearly as top heavy, Rousey’s strongest competition on Raw—based on how favorably they’re booked—are Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss, both of whom she has defeated multiple times on pay-per-view. Outside of what would be an emotionally and athletically fulfilling feud with a heel Natalya, the pickings are getting quite slim for WWE’s biggest mainstream star.
Just as John Cena is afforded free agency rights due to his star power, WWE should consider doing the same for Rousey, who may risk becoming stale if she’s saddled with the same competition. At the very least, closure with Charlotte seems almost mandatory after her extensive caning on Rousey at Survivor Series, a caning that continues to be brought up in storyline despite being blown off to some degree the following night on Raw.
For now, Rousey still reigns supreme on Raw, and her status as the company’s top star can hardly be denied, especially with both Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman on the shelf. The question is, however, how much longer will this run be interesting on Monday nights?
