A potential bombshell report from Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzerregarding Raw women's champion Ronda Rousey dominates this week's backstage WWE rumors and creates many questions heading into the most significant stretch of the company's entire year.
Could Rowdy be on her way out of the company just one year after making her debut and stunning fans with her quick adaptation to the mat game?
Find out the answer to that question, as well as the latest on John Cena vs. Lars Sullivan and the Women's Tag Team Championships, in this collection of backstage rumors and reports ahead of the 2019 Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
Meltzer reported, "there is a very good chance that Ronda Rousey will be finishing up with WWE at WrestleMania."
It's said the former UFC star wants to start a family with husband Travis Browne and always looked at WWE as temporary.
Meltzer went on to state, "if that's the case, she would likely put Becky Lynch over more likely then Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, given that would be what the fans would want."
The report, a blockbuster one that could affect the way WWE promotes Raw going forward, comes just days before Rousey defends her women's championship against Sasha Banks at Royal Rumble.
Since her debut at last year's Rumble event in Philadelphia, Rowdy has served as one of the faces of WWE.
She has been the Superstar with the most star power following Roman Reigns' absence and elevated women's wrestling to a level even The Four Horsewomen of NXT—Lynch, Flair, Sasha Banks and Bayley—could not.
Losing Rousey would be a massive blow for the flagship show, which has struggled to replenish its roster with genuine stars fans are interested in investing in.
Her mainstream appeal, credibility and ability to adapt to the in-ring game have made her one of the most valuable stars on the roster. Leaving would unravel all of the efforts that went into promoting her as the undisputed star of women's wrestling in WWE while creating an enormous void to be filled.
If the report proves true, it puts the company in an unenviable position heading into its most significant stretch of the year.
Meltzer also reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that the original plan to write John Cena off television was for Lars Sullivan to attack him and jump-start their WrestleMania program.
Instead, WWE played up a fake ankle injury storyline to explain away Cena's absence as the company spent the week promoting its Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
In the January 14 Raw main event, the veteran found himself trapped in an ankle lock at the hands of Drew McIntyre, and he continued to sell the injury after the match and show.
As of now, WWE has deemed his Rumble status "questionable."
In the same report, Meltzer mentioned Cena is shooting a film that is scheduled to begin principal photography Sunday, the same day as the Rumble.
Losing Cena for the Rumble would be no great loss because no one really expected him to win it anyway. If anything, he was a shot of star power in a match that does not have a ton of it. From that perspective, he will be missed.
The bigger news is the reported beatdown he was to suffer at the hands of Sullivan, whose introduction vignettes have ceased and whose status with the company was the hot topic of discussion before Triple H addressed the topic during a conference call, which was transcribed by Pro Wrestling Sheet's official Twitter account.
Sullivan showed tremendous upside during his time with NXT, developing into a quality big man with a punishing style that meshes well with the smaller, more athletically gifted stars. Considering the likes of Seth Rollins and Finn Balor are headlining Raw these days, that plays into his favor.
Battling Cena and benefiting from the credibility he can lend him is a plus.
For Cena, it would provide him another opportunity to demonstrate that selflessness that has long gone unrecognized by the WWE fans.
Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats noted the early expectation is that the Raw brand will win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.
This should come as no real surprise given the established teams on that brand. Bayley and Sasha Banks, Ronda Rousey and Natalya, Nia Jax and Tamina, and The Riott Squad have all enjoyed significant television time in the past six months.
Throw in The Bella Twins, as well as the makeshift team of Dana Brooke and Alicia Fox, and you have a division much more suited to sustain a tag team title than any other.
Yes, SmackDown features Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose, as well as The IIconics, but one of those two teams does not make it on to television regularly and it is pretty clear WWE is focused on creating a star out of Rose herself, so the landscape on the blue brand is not quite as strong.
Such a title would help add to a Raw brand that has lost Roman Reigns and could be on the verge of losing Rousey. The more it focuses on the new title and building its teams, the better off its product will be.
