The success of Ronda Rousey in UFC is undeniable. I don’t know if she changed the game, so much as she created, fostered, and continues to maintain the game heading into her championship defense against the 9-0 Bethe Correia this Saturday. In a lot of ways – and with no disrespect to strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk – Ronda IS the game.
Rousey = Money.
So why is WWE not copying her formula?
Despite completely justified skepticism, I actually believe the puppet masters want the Divas division to be a place for pseudo-legitimate competition. But is that actually what’s “best for business”?
Don’t get me wrong, I want the company to give their women time to shine. 10-15 minutes for one match on RAW and Smackdown shouldn’t be difficult. If the bookers are having trouble fitting Divas into the script, take out something terrible; there’s a lot to choose from.
The question I’m really asking is: if WWE creates a division of 8-12 competitive female athletes, gives them a respectable title, and allows them to maintain an even playing field with “fair” booking, does that translate to money? One look at the current crop of main event men’s talent tells me that it probably doesn’t.
There are two stars that you can say objectively make big money for WWE right now – Brock Lesnar and John Cena. No one else is on their level, including current champion Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Sheamus, and yes, Kevin Owens.
Cena and Lesnar have been put on pedestals and set apart from the pack; whether or not you like either of them, you can not argue the success WWE has had for generations, taking one or two stars and making them “special”. The company never made more money than when just a few people stood above the rest. Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, The Rock and Steve Austin.
This idea that everyone has to have a chance – that anyone can be the world champion if they try hard enough – comes from a generation (my generation) of entitlement. Everyone wants to feel special, which ultimately means that nobody is special. If a wrestler doesn’t get a run with the belt, the company has “given” up on them. It doesn’t help that we’re incredible antsy all the time; getting anyone to buy into a title reign for longer than a few months is admirable work.
