Charlotte Flair made her triumphant return to the WWE ring for the first time in nearly eight months and defeated Ronda Rousey in an impromptu match for the SmackDown Women's Championship on Friday.
Rousey had just defeated Raquel Rodriguez with an armbar to retain the SmackDown belt. She stayed in the ring with her partner in crime, Shayna Baszler, to cut a promo before being interrupted by Flair's music and the roars of a stunned crowd.
Flair stormed down to the ring and challenged her foe to a championship bout.
Rousey accepted, but this did not work in her favor as Flair quickly defeated her by countering an armbar and rolling the ex-UFC champion over for a pin to become a 14-time world title-holder.
Flair was last seen in the WWE ring during WrestleMania Backlash on May 8, when she lost to Rousey in an "I Quit" match for the belt.
She suffered a kayfabe fractured radius after Rousey put her in an armbar, but in reality, Flair took time off to get married to fellow professional wrestler Andrade El Idolo.
Flair is back just in time for the Road to WrestleMania in March, however, and things just got very interesting as the WWE calendar starts to heat up.
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The relationship between Liv Morgan and Ronda Rousey is no longer a friendly one.
That's at least what Morgan said during her appearance on Twin Talk with Haley & Hanna Cavinder.
"I'm the only person in the whole entire world to beat her twice," Morgan said. "Since our title feud, we've steered pretty far away from each other. But beforehand, I think I was one of her first friends here in WWE. That's why when I won the title, she respected what I did and she was actually happy for me. But yeah, now, no, I don't like her anymore."
Morgan was almost certainly talking in kayfabe here. She's a seasoned enough pro to not go on a podcast and say she's best buds with a woman she's spent several months feuding with.
With that said, it wouldn't be the first time a kernel of on-screen beef carried over after the show was over.
Rousey defeated Morgan at Extreme Rules, ending a championship reign that began at SummerSlam.
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Von Wagner, Cameron Grimes Potential NXT Call Ups
With the WWE draft pushed back to an uncertain date, there have not been many NXT callups during the Triple H regime.
That's apparently about to change.
Fightful Select reported Cameron Grimes and Von Wagner have been mentioned among the prominent names who could soon arrive on the WWE main roster.
Grimes has not wrestled on NXT in over a month and made his Main Event debut in a win over Akira Tozawa in October. He's largely been in stasis since losing his NXT championship match to Bron Breakker at July's Great American Bash event. A move to the main roster would arguably be a much-needed refresh for the character.
Wagner has been a far more regularly featured player on NXT in recent months, losing in an Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying match to Axiom last week ahead of Deadline. While he's considered far greener than Grimes and hasn't developed a consistent character, that could be par for the course moving forward.
"We're told that there will be a more slow and steady flow of NXT talent brought up to the main roster moving forward, and to expect less years-long evaluation periods in NXT," the Fightful report read.
Ric Flair Confirms Heat With Seth Rollins
To the surprise of no one, Ric Flair has found an issue with a current-era star. Flair, who regularly uses his podcast as a pulpit to engage in grudges (that are often dropped soon after), acknowledged heat exists between him and Seth Rollins during an appearance on SiriusXM's Busted Open.
"Seth Rollins is a damn good worker," Flair said. "He's mad at me because I've been up and down with his wife, but I don't care. He's good, but he ain't me. I got no problem saying that. He walked right by at an autograph session, and I thought, 'You gotta be kidding me, because of you and Becky and this 'Man' trademark, you're gonna ignore me, pal? Wow.'"
Flair has called out Becky Lynch, Rollins' wife, for her use of "The Man" moniker, which The Nature Boy claimed was a trademark violation. (It is not. WWE owns The Man trademark.)
Flair did not seem particularly angry about the falling out, saying he understands Rollins siding with his spouse.
"I looked over at The Undertaker and I said, 'I guess I'm in a timeout.' Everybody should take their wife's side in any debate there is," Flair said. "You're gonna take their side and I understand that as long as it's come and gone, but that was a sensitive point for me."
Ronda Rousey Wants Tag Title Reign
It does not appear Ronda Rousey is satisfied with just being SmackDown women's champion.
During a live stream on her YouTube channel, Rousey said she would like to have a tag title run in the future.
"Yes I'm happy just to have a tag title. I don't need a singles title," Rousey said. "A tag run would be fun. I mean, both is cool. I've been doing singles for so long, I'm ready to change it up. That's another thing, too, people forget I only have a year-and-a-half of in-ring experience."
Rousey has been aligned with longtime friend Shayna Baszler on television in recent weeks, and they would make a natural team to push in the tag division. Moving to tags for a temporary period might also help Rousey get better in the ring and take some of the constant focus off of her in the women's division.
Rousey's second run in WWE has not been beloved by all fans due to her shaky promo skills and clear greenness in the ring, but she remains one of the company's biggest draws. Using her to elevate the women's tag titles isn't a bad idea.
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