WWE Rumors: Will Ronda Rousey Be A Royal Rumble 2018 Surprise Entrant?

The first-ever women’s Royal Rumble will feature the top female wrestlers in WWE with the likes of Sasha Banks, Bayley and Asuka all vying for a championship match at WrestleMania 34. If it’s anything like the traditional men’s Royal Rumble, the battle royal should feature a few unexpected entrants.

When it comes to possible surprise participants, Ronda Rousey’s name has to be at the top of the list. There have been rumors for weeks that the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion is training to compete in the squared circle, and the first WWE pay-per-view of 2018 might be the most logical time for her to debut.

There is speculation among some WWE superstars that Rousey will be one of the entrants, according to the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer (via Cageside Seats). USA TODAY Sports reported earlier this month that Rousey was “finalizing details” for her move to WWE.

Once the biggest name in combat sports, Rousey would likely be thrust into the title picture shortly after her first appearance in WWE. That could mean winning the Royal Rumble and facing Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 34.

According to WWE, there is no official agreement between Rousey and the company.

“It's funny because every now and then I wake up and I look at either social media or the news and I see a report and it's like, well, that's news to me because I'm the one who would be having that conversation,” Triple H said on CBS Sports' “In This Corner Podcast” last week. “So it's interesting with ‘sources say.’”

That doesn’t mean WWE isn’t open to the idea of Rousey joining the roster.

“Everybody is very busy and I know that from Ronda's side and her team, they are looking for an opportunity,” said Triple H, who oversees WWE’s Talent Relations. “I have made it very clear that an opportunity exists and it's just a matter of us getting together and having conversations.

“I wish I had something more to tell you than that but we are just kind of talking and feeling where it goes and she is making movies and doing other things. But it's exciting and there are a lot of interest on both sides so let's see where it goes.”

Triple H, of course, might not be telling the whole truth, hoping to keep Rousey’s debut a surprise. The day before Samoa Joe made his debut in WWE in May of 2015, Triple H denied knowing if the wrestler would join the company.

Rousey has already been involved in a couple of WWE storylines over the last few years. She teamed up with The Rock in a confrontation against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 31. During WWE’s Mae Young Classic earlier this year, WWE teased a potential match between The Four Horsewomen of MMA (Rousey, Marina Shafir, Jessamyn Duke and Shayna Baszler) and WWE’s Four Horsewomen (Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Becky Lynch). Baszler has already joined WWE as an in-ring performer.

Rousey hasn’t officially retired from MMA, but it appears that her career in combat sports is over. She was knocked out in just 48 seconds when she last fought at UFC 207 on Dec. 30, 2016. Rousey hasn’t won a UFC fight since April 1, 2015.