With months of speculation and build up finally culminating in Ronda Rousey making her WWE in-ring debut on the ‘Grandest Stage of Them All’, against Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, flanked by fellow Olympian Kurt Angle - then a complete spectacle of a match at Money In The Bank against Nia Jax for her singles debut, everyone’s wondering what’s next for Rousey?

So, Rousey will face off against Alexa Bliss at SummerSlam for the Raw Women’s Championship and, well, barring some dodgy tactics from Little Miss Bliss, the smart money would be on a title change - but Women’s Champion or not, there’s no doubt Rowdy will have a huge role to play at WWE’s first ever all-women’s pay-per-view.

So what can we expect from Rousey at the event? Well, facing off against Nia Jax exceeded all expectation and I’m sure the Alexa Bliss match will do the same, so neither of these ladies features on this list.

Here are five first-time Rousey matches the WWE Universe would definitely love to see.

#7 Ronda Rousey vs Natalya

So, let’s get the logical one out of the way first. Natalya.

Friendships never last in wrestling, and both Rousey and Nattie have had each other’s backs since pretty much the start. In fact, behind the scenes, Natalya even had a hand in training Rousey - so you can bet this pair could put on an incredible match.

Physicality aside, though, and this is such an easy story to tell. Little Miss Bliss will be pulling out all the stops to defeat Rousey at SummerSlam, so Natalya costing her friend the match - deliberately or not - could be the perfect catalyst to fire us all guns blazing to this match at Evolution!

Natalya may be one of WWE’s most underutilized talents and, while being one of the most technically sound women on the roster, can also play a pretty mean heel. This could be great.

#6 Ronda Rousey vs Asuka

Okay, sure, Asuka may have lost a little bit of momentum and even possibly started trending downwards after her streak was ended at WrestleMania against Charlotte Flair, but let’s not forget what happened a few months before.

Asuka won the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble, ONLY to be interrupted by Ronda Rousey, with much of the WWE Universe claiming that the former UFC star had stolen the Empress of Tomorrow’s limelight.

Now, let’s be honest, no matter how many matches Asuka has won or lost prior, this match would be a spectacle.

With Ronda Rousey’s finishing move in WWE looking likely to be the Armbar she used so effectively in UFC, she’s also treading on Asuka’s toes when it comes to finishing moves - and that could lead to some great storytelling in this match with both women struggling to lock in the move to try and finish off the other.

Off the mat, this would be a thing of beauty. Well, actually, brutality. Both women are ferocious and relentless when it comes to striking ability making this one a must-see from the get-go.

While many thought Rousey may be the lady to end the streak, the pressure is off now that Asuka has an L to her name, but the WWE Universe would definitely be all in with this one, with both women still huge fan favorites too.

#5 Ronda Rousey vs Sonya Deville

So, we’ve already witnessed a little snippet of this, but a one-on-one match would still undoubtedly be a dream match in its own right.

While Sonya Deville is still in the infancy of her main roster career, her in-ring style and incredible ferocity make her one of WWE’s most dangerous women. Put her in the ring against the Baddest Woman on the Planet and it’s must-see!

While Deville’s first time in the ring with Rousey didn’t go exactly to plan, Deville’s Absolution partner Mandy Rose took the brunt of the beating, with Sonya leaving the ring with unfinished business in the air, rather than Ronda decimating the former NXT star.

Talk about in-ring chemistry, and this is what you’d undoubtedly get. Devile’s MMA style of hitting hard and hitting fast makes this one of the most exciting potential battles Rousey could have in the future, and even a Rousey win could make Deville a huge star if booked correctly!

#4 Ronda Rousey vs Becky Lynch

So, Becky Lynch has been on fire recently, and there are few women on the roster with more of a backing from the WWE Universe than Straight Fire!

While the Lass Kicker is very much the wildcard in this list, she’s very much been one of the faces of the company since being the first woman drafted to SmackDown back at the beginning of the brand split, and has gone on to be the SmackDown Women’s Champion and, well, more recently, the most in-form woman on the blue brand.

While this one would have to come out of the blue, quite literally, no-one would throw a flag on seeing the ever-adaptable Lynch throw hands and exchange submissions with Rousey,

#3 Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte

So, this probably should be number one, right?

Well, there’s one reason it isn’t. While Evolution will be HUGE and this would be a fitting main event, it’s rumored that this match could be set for even greater things - a headline slot at WrestleMania 35!

While both women could feasibly be champions of their respective brands and make for a colossal clash at Evolution, it could be bittersweet for many if WWE were to blow off the most likely match for a first-ever women’s main event at Mania.

This one has been building for a long time and the culmination deserves to come on the Grandest Stage of Them All. This match would draw mainstream media attention and, while Evolution is huge, Rousey vs Flair at Mania would be monumental.

Let’s leave this one simmering…

#2 Ronda Rousey vs Shayna Baszler

Again, this one might be a tad too early, but it would still be unbelievable. With Ronda Rousey by far the biggest name to make the switch from UFC to WWE, one woman made that same journey before her - and she’s now the NXT Women’s Champion.

As Rousey has been learning how to ply her craft in WWE in front of the world, Shayna Baszler learned behind closed doors and has been honing her craft between the yellow ropes ever since - even claiming the runner-up spot in the Mae Young Classic with Rousey watching in the crowd.

When Baszler won the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver, Rousey was there to congratulate her backstage. While WWE is positioning Rousey as a face, the narrative is already there for a jealous Baszler to turn on her friend and complain about the opportunities afforded to her on name value alone.

A jealous heel Baszler vs a “happy-to-be-here” Rousey would be money, but it could probably do with a lengthy tale where both women are aligned on television first for maximum impact.

#1 Four Horsewomen vs Four Horsewomen

So, this one has been brewing for quite some time, and this really would be huge!

WWE’s Four Horsewomen - Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Bayley - have had some beef with MMA’s Four Horsewomen - Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir - for quite some time, and the groups even came face to face in a WWE exclusive video at the Mae Young Classic.

While this one may also be premature, all eight women are now signed with WWE, with Duke and Shafir making their NXT debuts last week. This could be a great build for Rousey vs Charlotte without even having the pair touch during the match.

The story is already there as both women have even been face to face in a WWE setting before, as can be seen in the video below. Shafir and Duke even appeared in a video calling their main roster counterparts the “Faux Horsewomen” shortly after signing.

This one is going to happen, and I’m all in for it when it does! Evolution could be the perfect setting.

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