Backstage Update On Ronda Rousey's Royal Rumble Status

WWE appears to be looking to protect "The Baddest Woman on the Planet" and her image, according to a new report. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it was reported that three-time world champion Ronda Rousey is not scheduled to be in Saturday's Royal Rumble match because WWE doesn't plan to have her win the annual event. If Rousey isn't winning the Women's Rumble, then WWE reportedly does not want to "marginalize her star power" by having her enter the match and lose without being "the focal point."

Rousey has not had a match on WWE television since she shockingly lost the "WWE SmackDown" Women's Championship to a returning Charlotte Flair on the December 30 episode. The 41-second squash ended Rousey's third world title reign at 83 days, after she won the "SmackDown" championship from Liv Morgan at Extreme Rules in October. The UFC Hall of Famer made her debut with WWE at the 2018 Royal Rumble, but was not in the match. She'd go on to win the "WWE Raw" Women's Championship and hold it for nearly a year, before stepping away from wrestling after WrestleMania 35. Rousey finally returned at the 2022 Royal Rumble and entered the match at number 28, ultimately becoming the fifth Women's Rumble winner.

WWE's plans for Rousey in the near future appear murky, however. The crossover star hasn't appeared on WWE programming since her loss to Flair, and reports suggest several storylines the company presented her, including potential WrestleMania 39 matches with opponents like Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley, have fallen through.