Big Title Match Set For Royal Rumble With A Surprise Challenger

It’s time for a new face. We’re coming up on Ronda Rousey’s one year anniversary of debuting in WWE. Rousey made her first appearance at the 2018 Royal Rumble and went on to dominate the women’s division in short order. She’s now the Raw Women’s Champion and needs some fresh challengers. As it turns out, we have a new opponent and she’s a pretty big deal.

At this month’s Royal Rumble, Rousey will defend the title against Sasha Banks, who earned the title shot by defeating Nia Jax in a #1 contenders match on Monday Night Raw. Before the match, Rousey praised Banks’ skills and implied she wanted to face Banks. This will be Banks’ first match with Rousey and Banks’ first televised title shot since Elimination Chamber last year. Banks is a four time Raw Women’s Champion, having last held the title in August 2017.

Here’s how Banks got the shot. Check out a rather physical match between Banks and Jax:

Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax - Winner Challenges Rousey for the Raw Women's Title: Raw, Jan. 7, 2019

Opinion: Now why did it take so long to get here? We had to sit through Rousey vs. Jax twice before getting to Banks receiving a title shot? Banks might not be what she used to be but she’s one of the most popular wrestlers in the division. She’s popular, she’s talented and she’s a credible challenger. This is a good idea, even if all roads seem to lead to Rousey vs. Charlotte and/or Becky Lynch at WrestleMania for the title.

Do you like Banks as a challenger? What chance does she have of winning the title? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 28 wrestling books. His latest book is the the Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews.

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