Ronda Rousey Rumoured To Be In WWE Women's Royal Rumble Match

Former UFC Champion and women's MMA pioneer Ronda Rousey is thought to be a surprise entrant in the first ever women's Royal Rumble match.

According to Dave Meltzer on

, wrestlers scheduled to participate in the bout are under the impression that Rousey will also be an entrant.

For a non-wrestling figure, Rousey has been involved with WWE a lot over the past few years. She appeared at WrestleMania 31 alongside The Rock, getting involved in a skirmish with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

She also appeared several times on coverage of the Mae Young Classic tournament, often being seen cheering on fellow MMA fighter Shayna Bazsler in the crowd. She and her fellow 'Horsewomen of MMA' later had a staredown with WWE's own horsewomen backstage, teasing an eventual conflict.

Speculation over Ronda's future involvement in a wrestling capacity was raised further when she posted footage of herself training with WWE Superstar Natalya.

Rousey is well known to be a wrestling fan, and often attends Pro Wrestling Guerrilla events in her home state of California.

The winner of the women's Royal Rumble will receive a title shot at WrestleMania 34, which is particularly pertinent considering the rumours of a Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair match that arose earlier this year. Charlotte is, of course, the current WWE SmackDown Women's Champion.

Rousey is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion, which she successfully defended on seven separate occasions. Her success led her to become one of the most popular fighters in UFC history, but two consecutive, emphatic losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes led many to speculate that her time at the pinnacle of the sport is over.

It's fair to assume that WWE would love to involve Rousey in some capacity, given her mainstream appeal and apparent desire to become a pro wrestler.