WrestleMania 34 is officially in the books and Ronda Rousey can finally breathe a sigh of relief now that her in-ring debut has gone down as a massive success.
There was plenty of pressure on the former UFC bantamweight champion. Not only because her first-ever match in the WWE happened to take place on the Grandest Stage of Them All, but because the whole world was watching, as even casual fans wanted to see what she was capable of.
SUCCESS
Plus, working with the likes of Kurt Angle and Triple H is an honour in itself in front of 78,000 fans, but she certainly didn’t sink when thrown in the deep end by showcasing her impressive arsenal of moves and athletic ability.
As expected, though, fans are now interested to see what the company has planned for her moving forward. She’s already confirmed to be competing on the upcoming live tour in Europe, and a key way to not have fans turn on her is by having her compete as regularly as possible before being given big opportunities.
For example, rumours suggest The Baddest Woman on the Planet could go on to main event WrestleMania 35 in New Jersey against Charlotte Flair. However, if she’s not competing often enough or ‘paying her dues,’ then there’s no telling how fans would react.
We saw Rousey appear on Monday Night RAW this week to attack Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose of Absolution, and now Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has revealed what Rousey’s first feud since WrestleMania 34 is going to.
The plan is to have Natalya turn on Rousey to set up their feud. While she might not be the huge name many would have expected, the reason for their eventual feud is because Natalya has trained with her before and has a good read on Rousey’s abilities in the ring.
FIRST SINGLES FEUD
In short, she’s there to protect her and make her look strong.
According to Bodyslam.net, Meltzer said: “Natalya’s probably a really good first programme to do it with because they’re comfortable with each other, they know how to work with each other.
“I mean, they’ve worked enough with each other that Natalya has a better read on Ronda’s wrestling strengths and weaknesses than almost any other woman on the roster. And it was made pretty clear from the start with Natalya going over.
“So in that sense, it’s a positive [for Natalya]. I mean, protecting Ronda Rousey is one of the main things that they’re gonna be doing over the next year.”
It’s a smart move by WWE to have Natalya become her first feud since WrestleMania, as it allows her to work to Rousey’s strengths and continue building her as the most dangerous woman on the roster.
By throwing her into the deep end again, WWE would be taking a huge risk as even the slightest of flaws can take a hit on the aura Rousey brings to the ring.
What do you make of the potential feud between Ronda Rousey and Natalya? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.