WWE Rumors: Ronda Rousey To Leave Raw? FOX Want 'Rowdy' On SmackDown
FOX Sports is already gearing up for SmackDown Live next year as they reportedly want Ronda Rousey to switch WWE brands.
Rousey is the current Raw women's champion and has quickly become one of the brand's leading stars ever since making her WWE debut earlier this year. And according to Justin LaBar of Wrestling Inc, FOX wants her to be a part of the SmackDown roster when they take over broadcast rights for the show from the USA Network in October next year.
It was previously reported that FOX network officials wanted the SmackDown product to have less comedy and take more of a sports direction, and they feel having Rousey would greatly contribute toward that.
The 31-year-old, of course, was the former UFC women's bantamweight champion as her notoriously quick wins during an unbeaten title reign from 2013 to 2015 made her a mainstream star.
LaBar adds that FOX feels Rousey's background in mixed martial arts, popularity and credibility as a legitimate sports star can be a major selling point for the show. In addition, Rousey has appeared on FOX many times before during her days in the UFC.
Since Rousey is one of WWE's top stars and Raw is considered the flagship program over SmackDown, it might be unlikely that FOX gets their wishes.
However, it will certainly be interesting to see what takes shape in the coming year. Brand trades usually take place after Wrestlemania each year and it could be possible that the WWE put it on hold this year until SmackDown officially moves to FOX.
Another sports figure that FOX is open to is current UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
Cormier is already a regular for UFC on FOX Tonight where he is an analyst, while he is also a self-professed fan of the WWE and pro wrestling as a whole.
The 39-year-old notably revealed he was invited by the WWE for a tryout as a commentator, but had to postpone it after he was scheduled to face Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 230 earlier this month. He plans on revisiting the opportunity though.
"We will revisit this," Cormier said earlier this month. "I am going to Orlando to the Performance Center to do my gig to see how it works out. I am very passionate about pro wrestling. I have watched it my whole life. You can YouTube my reaction to when Seth Rollins won the World Championship at WrestleMania 31. I am very passionate. It is what I like to do. Since I was a kid I liked watching wrestling and is a dream to be able to do something with them in the future."
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, FOX like Cormier for the role and feel he will give the show more of a sports direction, assuming he gets it and commentates for SmackDown.
To make things even more interesting, Cormier is expected to face current WWE Universal champion Brock Lesnar in the UFC sometime early next year.
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