Ronda Rousey has consistently been outspoken when it comes to critiquing her WWE booking, and she once again seized an opportunity to express her dissatisfaction following her match at Money in the Bank in London. The match, which lasted around nine minutes, saw Shayna Baszler betray Rousey, leaving her vulnerable to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, resulting in Morgan and Rodriguez becoming two-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champions. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, the original plan was for Rousey and Baszler to engage in a feud before Rousey's anticipated departure from the company, as she reportedly has a specific date set for when her contract expires. Rumors have circulated about Rousey potentially returning to the UFC for at least one more fight, and continuing her wrestling career would undoubtedly complicate her preparations for such a fight.
In 2022, Rousey turned heel after Morgan cashed in her Money in the Bank contract, costing Rousey the SmackDown Women's Championship. Rousey managed to reclaim the title in a controversial match at that year's SummerSlam. It wasn't until February that Rousey started collaborating with Baszler, and their journey towards winning the women's tag titles didn't culminate until May. However, WWE's original booking plans for Rousey and Baszler's tag title reign and subsequent feud were reportedly shortened due to Rousey's earlier injury in the year.
Ronda Rousey on WWE Cutting Down Her Match at Money in the Bank 2023
Continuing on the topic of truncation, Rousey recently voiced her discontent in a Instagram post regarding the tag title match at Money in the Bank. According to her, the match was originally intended to be much longer but was repeatedly shortened by backstage officials.
"When your time gets cut three times but you still deliver an outstanding performance #ChickenSalad," Rousey wrote. Furthermore, Dave Meltzer reported that a match between Rousey and Baszler is being planned for SummerSlam, scheduled to take place next month in Detroit.
WWE Money in the Bank 2023 Results
• Damian Priest def. Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, LA Knight, Santos Escobar, Butch and Logan Paul (Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match)
• WWE Women's Tag Team Championship: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez def. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler
• Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def. Matt Riddle
• Cody Rhodes def. Dominik Mysterio
• Iyo Sky def. Becky Lynch, Zelina Vega, Zoey Stark, Bayley and Trish Stratus (Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match)
• World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor
• The Usos def. Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa
Shayna Baszler on Ronda Rousey Demanding a Women's Tag Title Run
During an interview with Cheap Heat last month, Baszler revealed that Rousey had taken a firm stance backstage in order for WWE to book their former MMA duo as the winners of the women's tag titles. Following their victory, the titles were eventually unified with the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships after Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, who held the latter, were drafted to SmackDown.
"Ronda is Ronda, you know. She has been in the main title picture, she even headlined WrestleMania. She still receives one of the loudest pops when we make our entrance. This was something she demanded," Baszler explained. "We had been requesting it for a long time, but she finally put her foot down and went to the office, saying, 'Listen, we've been asking for this for so long. You keep telling us, 'After this, after that, after this...'"
"I honestly don't know if it would have happened if she hadn't done that," Baszler continued. "I wasn't at a level yet to be elevated to Ronda's status. So the fact that Ronda said, 'No, stop. I've achieved this. I want to do this because this is why I got into wrestling.' I think that's tremendous. She could have been in the main event of SummerSlam. She doesn't have to be where she is, which is elevating these titles."
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