Why did WWE pull Ronda Rousey off SmackDown suddenly? Finding a potential reason

Ronda Rousey has not been seen on WWE programming ever since December last year. From the looks of it, the company may want to make sure that her return will be for a storyline.

Previous reports stated that the Stamford-based promotion didn't include The Baddest Woman on the Planet since they "didn't want to marginalize her star power" as she wouldn't win it. It's possible that Ronda Rousey isn't being utilized by WWE at the moment since they want to make sure she is a focal point, possibly via a storyline. This will definitely go in line with a recent report.

As per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there are plans for Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler to reunite soon. This will then lead to a WrestleMania 39 match for the Women's Tag Team Championship match against Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai of Damage CTRL.

At the moment, the RAW stable is currently feuding with Becky Lynch on the Monday brand. This could possibly also be the reason why a potential feud with Baszler and Rousey still hasn't been made.

The Baddest Woman on the Planet lost the SmackDown Women's Championship against the returning Charlotte Flair on the final 2022 episode of WWE SmackDown. This also marked the last time fans saw the former champion in the Stamford-based promotion.

Potential look at how Ronda Rousey's title loss caused major changes in WWE

The former UFC duo may be in-line with the women's tag team titles at The Grandest Stage of Them All. However, things might have seen completely different storylines if the title change hadn't happened.

A previous report from Fightful Select shared that Ronda and Raquel Rodriguez were supposed to face each other at Royal Rumble. However, the company wanted more excitement for the December 30 episode, which is why the title change occurred.

The site also suggested that Flair was also scheduled to face Bianca Belair for the RAW Women's Championship prior to the title win. The potential brand switch of The Queen may have also caused Rhea Ripley's switch and feud for the Blue brand's women's championship. Interestingly, Rhea Ripley was also one of the names pitched for Rousey at WrestleMania Hollywood.

Charlotte Flair is currently scheduled to face WWE Women's Royal Rumble 2023 winner Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 39. Meanwhile, Belair's opponent for The Grandest Stage of Them All will be determined at the upcoming Elimination Chamber event this month at Canada.

It remains to be seen if Ronda Rousey will return anytime soon to align herself with Shayna Baszler or for a completely different feud.