A major title change at WrestleMania looks set to go ahead as planned despite injury concerns around a potential new champion.
It was recently reported by WrestlingNewsPremium that Ronda Rousey pushed for her WrestleMania plans to be changed in the run-up to the Royal Rumble. This shift saw a planned match with Rhea Ripley for the SmackDown Women’s Title scrapped, with Rousey losing the championship to Charlotte Flair in late December.
Ripley went on to win the women’s Royal Rumble match setting up a bout with Flair at WrestleMania 39.
The reason for Rousey’s desire to change her plans is that she wants a run alongside Shayna Baszler in the women’s tag team division. The former UFC star’s public comments reflected her mood backstage. This led to Rousey and Baszler being penciled in to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania. This will likely be in a match with Becky Lynch and Lita who won the titles on February 27th.
However, it has since been revealed that Rousey is dealing with some kind of arm injury. The most recent episode of SmackDown saw an injury angle being filmed backstage, while she appeared on-screen with her arm in a sling. It was noted at the time that she had aggravated an existing issue, although she is expected to be back for WrestleMania
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez reiterated this report, while giving an update on the situation.
Brian Alvarez: “She re-aggravated a previous non-serious injury and she should be back soon.”
Dave Meltzer: “From what I understand, she’s limited [and] probably will be out and exactly how much she will be recovered by, when she’s wrestling again, is unknown. But the hope is that they will still win the tag team titles at WrestleMania. That was the original idea. That’s still the hope.”
Ronda Rousey Wants Tag Team Gold
Ronda Rousey has been open about her desire to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles alongside Baszler. Speaking in the wake of her loss to Charlotte Flair, the star said that she was “done” with her rival and wanted to conquer the tag team division.
H/t to WrestlingNews.Co