Will Ronda Rousey Show Up at RAW?

Ronda Rousey arrested the WWE Universe by making her thunderous arrival to Sunday’s Royal Rumble. But now that she’s in, everyone wants to know what’s next. Well, just like any other WWE Superstar; it’s RAW.

While WWE hasn’t confirmed anything, they certainly were not afraid to tease the former UFC Champion’s appearance. In a post from WWE.com WWE did the best they could to seduce us into tuning on Monday night:

“Rousey made it clear that she was going to WrestleMania, but her sudden emergence in WWE has clouded the Team Red Women’s division. What did her handshake with Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon mean? What exactly is Rousey planning for this year’s Show of Shows? And how will it be addressed tonight on Raw?”

It’s hard to imagine Rousey not showing up. I mean, she’s already in Philadelphia, what else could she have planned? She’ll be there, but the real question is what will she be doing?

Well thanks to Sunday’s ambiguities, Rousey could be used a number of places on RAW. She could open the show with an “I’m happy to be here” promo. Or maybe we can learn more about her odd propensity for awkward handshakes? Maybe she’ll attack Alexa Bliss? Maybe she’ll bully Asuka. Who knows? And that’s exactly while we’ll all be watching.

WWE is probably banking on it too. Now that Rousey is a WWE employee, Vince McMahon and Co. have an opportunity to speak to first-time watchers. Give Rousey pop culture presence, fans who normally would watch CSI on Monday’s will decided to give WE a chance. That said, we can brace for an impact episode.

“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’s 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.’”

Rousey has been a lifelong wrestling fan, and made her first appearance with the WWE back at WrestleMania 31, where she aligned herself with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to lay out Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Rumors of her being an active participant in the company have been swirling ever since.

“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 told ESPN. “”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.”

No word yet from ESPN if Rousey will have a match prior to WrestleMania 34, or if she’ll be an active wrestler on one of the two show’s roster each week. WWE will likely tell the fans more about her situation on Monday’s edition of RAW.