Ronda Rousey's creative changed significantly based on what it was originally pitched to be for WrestleMania.
Fightful Select had reported over the past months that originally, Ronda Rousey was scheduled to face Raquel Rodriguez at the WWE Royal Rumble, where she was scheduled to retain the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship. We were told that was the plan until December, when creative couldn't be agreed upon heading into the WrestleMania season.
By that time, Rhea Ripley had long been planned to win the WWE Royal Rumble, where she'd challenge Ronda Rousey for the Smackdown Women's Championship at WrestleMania. Over on the WWE Raw brand, a returning Charlotte would have challenged Bianca Belair for the WWE Raw Women's Championship. At the time these plans were in effect -- late November, early December, Charlotte had still been off television for quite some time, and the long-rumored Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey match for WrestleMania was no longer happening.
Those familiar with the situation said that Ronda Rousey preferred and pushed for the tag team with Shayna Baszler that we now see playing out on WWE television, which is slated to end up with them challenging for the WWE Tag Team Titles. The match with Raquel Rodriguez was moved up a full month to a Smackdown at the end of December, which gained ton of acclaim. Charlotte Flair was brought back to television, and was booked to win the Women's Championship that day, without even herself knowing that she was set to.
We're told that the plan for Rousey at WrestleMania for a tag match of some sort were laid out months ago.
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