With her win over Liv Morgan at WWEExtreme Rules, Ronda Rousey is again the face of SmackDown's women's division. It's time for her to live up to the billing of Baddest Woman On The Planet and lean into the heel that it seems she's always wanted to be. Dump out more bags of money to pay fines. Beat up authority figures. Get kicked out of buildings. The works. The former UFC Champion has a unique relationship with professional wrestling fans, which gives her an edge in playing a truly one-of-a-kind heel.
WWE is chock full of villains from all walks of life and backgrounds. The most effective ones, however, are those capable of reaching down inside and pulling out emotions based on personal experience. For Ronda Rousey, this is her opportunity to give the bird to anyone who's ever booed. She should be dismantling members of the women's division who might still feel like she is an undeserving outsider. It's an angle that, if played up correctly and given enough time and pressure, could lead to Ronda Rousey being one of, if not the division's biggest star.
Ronda Rousey Has Real Emotions To Explore On SmackDown
Rousey has been showing flashes of her heel persona for several months now. She was technically the face in her feud with Natalya, but some of her comments were scathing and borderline cruel. Ronda turned that up during the build towards Extreme Rules, calling Morgan "Hooters Barbie" while saying she wasn't tough enough to beat her in a fight. It turned out that was true, as Rousey finally got her win back over Liv Morgan, who cased in her Money In The Bank briefcase just hours after winning it. WWE tried to weasel out of a clean finish between the two at SummerSlam, but that backfired, leading to fans booing Morgan. Those roles would reverse by the most recent premium live event, thanks to Rousey's better-than-you persona.
The reality for Rousey mirrors Brock Lesnar's in that, if she so chose, she could legit beat up anyone in her division. That weight has always made The Beast Incarnate more believable, and it's the kind of edge Rousey needs to gain in the coming months. No one is asking her to be a smiling, happy-to-be-here baby face anymore. Now she can embrace the Baddest Woman On The Planet persona without worrying about how it'll affect merchandise sales.
Next Feud Is Important For Ronda Rousey
While she's playing the part of anti-authority butt kicker, Rousey needs to be involved in a good feud in the coming weeks. There are a few interesting options, but Shayna Baszler and Rousey have the real-life backstory to make a program work. Neither is particularly strong on the mic, but that would matter much less once the bell rang. Those two would be able to engage in matches that felt like borderline cage fights, lending more credence to Rousey's Baddest Woman On The Planet claims. And if that feud led to them becoming a tag team and further dominating SmackDown together, then so be it.
That could feed into a feud between Rousey and one of several female competitors who aren't currently wrestling for one reason or another. Charlotte Flair and Ronda still have unfinished business, while Becky Lynch could swap brands once she's healthy and chase after SmackDown's championship. Sasha Banks is another exciting possibility, but it isn't clear whether or not wrestling is in her future. Crown Jewel is set to take place on November 5, and Ronda Rousey is a name that WWE might want to try and feature on that card in some fashion.