The Ronda Rousey-Shayna Baszler break-up was their idea and not a last-second change, but time cuts weren’t

By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor

Ronda Rousey set for WWE Raw return
Ronda Rousey (art credit Joel Tesch © PWTorch)

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The Ronda Rousey-Shayna Baszler tag team break-up was not a last-second booking decision and, in fact, is what Rousey and Baszler wanted to do, PWTorch has learned. Rousey wanted to feud with her friend Baszler (perhaps to give her a boost) before Rousey finishes her current WWE run.

The break-up was actually supposed to happen sooner, perhaps to have them establish their tag team title reign more firmly and be the first unified tag champs after merging the WWE and NXT women’s tag titles days before Baszler attacked Rousey at Money in the Bank. Internally, there’s a belief that timing was right because of the shocked fan reaction in the arena and given the time left on Rousey’s WWE commitments.

Rousey has an end date that is not being divulged widely in WWE, but our sources indicate it’s not too far off. It’s not known if she’s just taking a hiatus for a while or is wrapping up potentially for good.


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One thing Rousey wasn’t necessarily thrilled with is that her tag match at Money in the Bank was shortened three times before their match started due to timing issues with the show’s length. “When your time gets cut three times but you still put on a banger,” she wrote in a caption on an Instagram post.

Is Rousey returning to UFC? Some are speculating that could be on the table. On a recent episode of the show Weighing In, former UFC referee John McCarthy commented on this possibility. “Could she make money trying to go back to the UFC?,” he said. “Yeah, Dana would pay her a shitload. Shitload. But it probably wouldn’t be the smart thing for her to do. She’s got a great life. Great career in the UFC, great career in the WWE. Walk away and be a farmer.” (h/t to MMANews.com)

READ THE STORY ON ROUSEY’S PRE-WRESTLEMANIA INJURY AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Ronda Rousey injury update after she missed a scheduled WWE Smackdown match

OR READ WADE KELLER’S REVIEW OF THE ROUSEY-BASZLER ANGLE AT MITB: WWE MONEY IN THE BANK RESULTS (7/1)


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