3 Reasons why Ronda Rousey might return to SmackDown and 3 Reasons why she might return to RAW

January 2018: Fans were excited as they were to witness the first-ever Woman's Royal Rumble match, which main-evented the PPV of the same name. Many former WWE Superstars returned for the Rumble, with the undefeated Asuka winning the whole thing. And that was when Ronda Rousey walked down the WWE ramp for the first time.

After such a newsworthy debut, there was no doubt that the first-ever UFC Bantamweight Champion will not have a dominant career with the WWE. She won the hearts of the WWE Universe in her debut match at WrestleMania 34. Skip forward to the road to WrestleMania 35, babyface Rousey was gone and was replaced by a badass heel iteration of herself, much to the amusement of fans. After being pinned for the first time in her WWE career in the main event of WrestleMania 35, Rousey decided to take a hiatus from WWE.

Rumors were rife that Rousey wanted to start a family and fans wondered whether they had already seen the last of Rousey on WWE, until now. In a recent interview, Triple H revealed that the 'Baddest Woman on the Planet' is eager to return to in-ring competition. But, with Rousey not being a part of the recently commenced draft, which brand will the former RAW Women's Champion return to?

So, without further ado, let us take a look at the 3 reasons why Ronda Rousey might return to SmackDown and 3 reasons why she might return to RAW:

To SmackDown: Her UFC background

Should the former UFC star switch to SmackDown.....

Now, we all know that FOX network executives have asked WWE to give SmackDown the legitimate sports feel. In response to this, WWE has modified not only the set of the Blue brand but has also introduced new camera angles. This also explains WWE's decision to stack SmackDown with big stars like Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, and Tyson Fury.

But, there is no such celebrity present on SmackDown on the women's side of things. With Rousey being a former UFC Superstar, she is the ideal candidate to bring the sports element to the women's division of the blue brand. With the FOX executives reportedly asking for Rousey on the Blue brand before her hiatus, this might be more of a spoiler than a prediction.

To RAW: Need of a big heel on the red brand

With the Draft over, it is clear that the red brand is lacking a big heel. Sure, there is Charlotte Flair, but it will not be wise to insert her into the title picture of RAW, given that she has already had a lot of matches with Lynch over this past year.

On the other hand, SmackDown has Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Lacey Evans, who perhaps are the most despised heels in WWE right now. Though Rousey fared well as a babyface, it was her badass heel persona, which was embraced by the WWE Universe. Thus, making her return as a face won't be the best decision.

If Rousey is to return as a heel, it should be on RAW, given the fact that the brand lacks a top female heel. With Brock Lesnar as WWE Champion and Cain Velasquez having already signed with the WWE, I guess the FOX executives won't mind Rousey going to RAW, or will they?

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To SmackDown: Already developed gimmick

Rousey is the Baddest Woman on the Planet in every sense

Rousey's character development was perhaps the best in the women's division, until Becky Lynch's organic rise to the top as The Man. She started as the anti-authority babyface, who was hailed by many as the second coming of the legendary Stone Cold Steve Austin due to her involvement with Stephanie McMahon on more than one occasion. Towards the end of her first run with the company, Rousey turned into a dominant heel, which was something the fans had been clamoring to see. Heel or face, Rousey's gimmick has been over with the fans and doesn't need much of a development.

As seen in 2019's Draft, many up and coming Superstars have been drafted to RAW. The main reason behind this was to give these superstars more screen time, which will help them establish themselves and develop their gimmick. With Paul Heyman known to build main eventers out of new wrestlers, expect many more main eventers to come up soon.

But, Rousey is already over with the fans and is also a well-established main-eventer. So, it will be better for her to be on SmackDown, while other talents build themselves up on RAW.

To RAW: Ready-made storylines

She has unfinished business with a lot of women on RAW

During her first run with the company, Rousey was exclusively working with the RAW brand. During the entire course of her first run, Rousey has collided with many big names and has a long, storied past with them. She still has a lot of unfinished business on the Red brand.

With Natalya staying on RAW, Rousey can return and attack her 'best friend' to kick-off a feud between the two, which was supposed to happen back in 2018. If WWE has plans of keeping the two of them together, then Natalya can turn heel and win the Tag Team titles.

With Charlotte behaving like a face nowadays and joining RAW, Rousey can return and attack the Queen to set up a big non-title clash between the two women. Not to mention, Rousey can go straight behind Becky Lynch to claim the RAW Women's Championship back from her.

In short, Rousey has many ready-made storylines on RAW and will require much lesser work by creatives, allowing them to focus more on other feuds.

To SmackDown: To elevate the SD Live Women’s division

Sasha Banks changing her look and turning heel post-return was something that the fans loved. Even more pleasurable was seeing Bayley follow the steps of her best friend and winning the SmackDown Women's Champion. No longer is Bayley the 'hugger'. She has a new hairstyle, a new persona, a new theme, new gear, and a whole new title regime. In short, Bayley's heel turn is the best thing that has happened to SmackDown since the rise of 'The Man' Becky Lynch.

With Sasha Banks and Bayley already being the bonafide main-eventers of SmackDown, having them feud with Rousey is sure to garner attention from the fans. Rousey was often hailed as the second-coming of Stone Cold Steve Austin due to her repeated interactions with Stephanie McMahon. So, it won't be a surprise if the former RAW Women's Champion returns as an anti-hero and starts feuding with Bayley and Banks. With Bayley and Banks being the most over heels of SmackDown, they deserve an opponent as big as Rousey.

If the plan is for Bayley to lose the title to Cross due to Banks turning on her, Rousey can return as the badass heel and straight away challenge for the women's title, ensuring that the title isn't overshadowed by the Bayley/Banks feud. In short, Rousey's presence will only benefit the women's division of the Blue brand.

To RAW: The Paul Heyman factor

Those who are up-to-date with all the news and rumors regarding Ronda Rousey must be aware of the fact that the former UFC fighter loves to work with Paul Heyman, the current executive director of RAW. It was Paul Heyman who helped Rousey with her mic skills, something which was visible in the fiery promos delivered by Rousey. With Paul Heyman being actively involved in the creative aspects of RAW, the mad scientist of pro-wrestling may be able to get Rousey on his brand.

Another important reason is that Heyman will not only ensure the growth of Ronda Rousey but the RAW Women's division as a whole. Example: While Rousey is busy settling her scores with Natalya, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair can continue waging war for the RAW Women's Championship. The Kabuki Warriors will also be dominating IIconics in their Tag Title feud.

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Thus, not only will Rousey be a featured attraction on RAW, but the other women too will get the screen time to showcase their talent. This will also reduce the filler content on RAW, which is very difficult to sit through.

Last, but not the least, is the inevitable call-up of the MMA Horsewomen. With Rousey returning, it might make sense to call up the other Horsewomen, who are currently working in NXT. Factions like these need adequate time to establish themselves as a dominant force. Them being on SmackDown will lead to loss of a lot of scree-time, leading to many things being rushed or kept off the television.

RAW always has a problem filling up the third hour. Thus, bringing Rousey (with or without the Horsewomen) will kill many birds with a single stone.

So, here are the reasons why I think that Rousey will be returning to RAW or SmackDown? Do you agree with them? On which brand should the former RAW Women's Champion ultimately make her return? Be sure to give your valuable opinion in the comments below!

Edited by Anirban Banerjee