Ronda Rousey will appear on the five episodes of Raw between now and WrestleMania 34 on April 8 in New Orleans, WWE announced Monday.
Rousey made her Raw debut a week ago, having formally signed her Raw contract a day earlier at Elimination Chamber. Rousey demanded an apology from Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon after McMahon slapped her at Elimination Chamber.
McMahon apologized, but her husband, Triple H, punched an unsuspecting Kurt Angle as he was exiting the ring.
WWE didn’t specify whether Rousey will actually be stepping inside the ring for her first match over the next five weeks, but it seems doubtful the company would allow that to happen before WrestleMania.
Rousey’s role on Raw leading up to WrestleMania will likely be similar to that of Brock Lesnar, who has yet to wrestle a televised match on Raw since returning to WWE in 2012. The only difference will be that Rousey won’t have an advocate such as Paul Heyman by her side.
Of course, the bigger question is whether Rousey’s post-WrestleMania appearances will mirror those of Lesnar, who generally goes into hibernation until the summer.
That strategy would benefit WWE in two ways. First, it would ensure each of her appearances remained meaningful. Secondly, having Rousey take a break from WWE programming after WrestleMania 34 would allow her to continue her in-ring training.
Triple H told For The Win’s Nick Schwartz in January that Rousey would be working at WWE’s Performance Center after officially signing with the company. Allowing Rousey to train at the Performance Center—and not in front of live crowds and television audiences where she’d be highly scrutinized—would be far more beneficial to her long-term development.
