Ever since her electric WrestleMania 34 debut, fans have been clamoring to know what’s next for Ronda Rousey in WWE. Well, it looks like it will be her first ever championship opportunity.
John Pollock reports that Rousey vs. RAW Women’s Champion, Nia Jax is set for the June 17 Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
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They set up Ronda Rousey’s next match at today’s NBC Upfront presentation, against Nia Jax. We can report that the match is scheduled for Money in the Bank on 6/17.
— John Pollock (@iamjohnpollock) May 14, 2018
Rousey broke the news to E! during her red carpet appearance
“We are very civil and professional ladies, so Nia did just challenge me for Money in the Bank to come after her title,” Rousey told E! News on the red carpet. “I happily oblige respectfully, so I can sit next to her.”
Jax chimed in during the joint interview.
“We can still get along for now, but once we get in the ring, it’s over. All bets are off, right?
This comes as surprising news as it seemed WWE was set to slow play Rousey until she was ready for bigger stages. And apparently, she is.
Since WrestleMania, Rousey has been involved with WWE veterans, Natalya and Mickie James. The former UFC Champion has become a protector of sorts for Nattie, and Mickie James has played the villain. It looked like WWE would ride this story—likely leading to Nattie turning on Rousey—well into the summer.
Jax and Rousey teased an altercation two weeks ago, but most guessed it would be used as fodder for SummerSlam. However, we’re getting that match two months early.
Now that we know the match, it’s time to speculate on its outcome. It Ronda Rousey really just a month away from becoming a WWE Champion? Its hard to say, but there is zero chance Jax beats her cleanly. If Rousey is to lose, Natalya and Mickie James will have to be involved in assisting Jax victory.
However, WWE may think that Rousey is indeed ready to represent the company. If that’s that’s the case, we can expect Rousey to win with relative wase and officially open her reign as WWE’s top female star.
WWE does run the risk of giving Rousey too much, too soon. This heavy-handed approach was applied to the push of Roman Reigns and may have permanently damaged his relationship with WWE’s crowd. If Rousey is anointed unjustly, fans could meet her achievements with a similar hesitation. However, Rousey has made the WWE crowd hit decibels that Reigns couldn’t touch at a similar stage of his career. For now, the WWE universe is behind Rousey, making Money in the Bank one of the most intriguing non-WrestleMania pay-per-view in quite some time.
