Ronda Rousey hasn’t officially been in a WWE match yet, but the company is reportedly already booking for her to appear the next time it puts on a show at one of the country’s most revered venues — Madison Square Garden.
According to PWInsider, WWE officials are trying to book the former UFC Bantamweight Champion for their next live event at MSG on March 16. While there’s no garuntee of a match, the event will mark the first time Rousey has appeared inside the famous arena beyond press events, as the UFC was kept out of performing at the arena due to New York state laws until the UFC 205 event in November 2016.
Videos by PopCulture.com
WWE officially announced on Monday that Rousey will be appearing on every episode of Monday Night Raw from now until WrestleMania 34 on April 8. That includes shows in Milwaukee, Detroit, Dallas, Cleveland and Atlanta.
Rousey made her Raw on Feb. 26 following her contract signing at Elimination Chamber the previous night. The set-up for a mixed match tag match between Ronda and Raw General Manager Kurt Angle continued to be set up as Triple H sucker punched Angle as he and McMahon left the ring after apologizing to Rousey.
Rousey made her WWE debut back at the Royal Rumble, interrupting Asuka’s celebration after winning the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble match. A report from ESPN was quickly released afterwards with Rousey saying she’d signed a multi-year deal with the company.
“This is my life now. First priority on my timeline for the next several years. This is not a smash-and-grab; this is not a publicity stunt,” Rousey said in an exclusive interview with ESPN reporter Ramona Shelburne. “When I first met with Triple H, I told him, ‘There are other things I can do with my time that’ll make way more money, but I won’t enjoy nearly as much.’
“It’s funny — it’s kind of like acting, in that it was something I always wanted to do but I never thought was in the cards for me,” Rousey said. “And now that I realize I really do have this opportunity, I feel like my 6-year-old self would totally kick my ass if I didn’t take it.”
Following her surprise arrival, Rousey returned ot WWE programming weeks later at the Elimination Chamber, where she signed her (kayfabe) contract and got into it with both McMahon and Hunter after Angle let slip that the two were going to try and humiliate her for what she did to them back at WrestleMania 31. Rousey responded by slamming Triple H through a table.
