Ronda Rousey Delivers on the Hype at WrestleMania 34

However the crowd did accept her and popped for her throughout the entire match. They were surely stunned at just how well she did and how good she looked. It’s not that they doubted she could do it but a WWE audience is notoriously hard to please at times. Rousey had to prove she was doing this for the right reasons and that she could do it better than anyone else. The fans definitely bought in on both fronts.

So now the question is what happens next? Rousey has overcome her first hurdle at WrestleMania. Now it’s on to her career as a WWE Superstar. She has said that this is her life now, this is who she is. That should mean she’s available for much more than just the occasional pay-per-view. While WWE would surely not want to risk overexposure, Rousey also should not come around simply when a big event is happening.

The success of Rousey’s run depends on her booking. The same is true of every WWE Superstar of course but it’s especially true for Rousey, who does not have an established pro wrestling reputation to fall back on. Everything she does from this point on will be a first for her so maintaining her momentum means continuing to give her the right spots at the right time.

Why not hit the ground running and book her in a rivalry? Ronda has shown what she can do in a mixed tag situation with months to prepare. Maybe she should now move to a regularly featured feud on Monday Night Raw. She had a confrontation with Absolution recently so maybe Mandy Rose or Sonya Deville would be the best choice to face her. She could get some great TV time each week and the woman standing across the ring from her would surely benefit from the added spotlight.

But would WWE be willing to use Rousey every week or would she be saved for the big events only? Therein lays one of the issues when it comes to keeping Rousey red-hot. If the company uses her sparingly then her appearances would mean more, that much is true. Fans would not have the potential to grow tired of her because she would not be around.

Does absence make the heart grow fonder or forgetful? Rousey must be a presence if this is to work. If this is truly her life now, then she must be on hand make it happen. The more she works, the more comfortable she will become. When the big matches do happen, she will be even more prepared than she was at WrestleMania because she will have real experience under her belt.

That experience will be invaluable when she finally faces off against Charlotte Flair. That is the match so many fans believed would happen at WrestleMania 34 but it was much too early. Now that Rousey is in the mix, she can get in a groove and eventually work her way to The Queen. It’s a match that must happen and it’s one that WWE is surely salivating over.

Ronda Rousey came into what could have been hostile territory when she debuted in WWE. But the fans took her in and believed that she would excel at her new chosen profession. That belief was not unfounded. Rousey walked into WrestleMania an unknown commodity as a wrestler and she walked out leaving an extremely impressed crowd on its feet. This is definitely who she is now. This is Ronda Rousey.

 

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Wrestling Rumors. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, iHeart Radio, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online at boinkstudios.com