Update On Original Plans For Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey Feud

At WWE Money in the Bank last Saturday, Shayna Baszler turned on Ronda Rousey and cost them their WWE Women’s Tag Team titles. If the angle seemed rushed, that’s because it was. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the original plan was to give the turn a slow build, but injuries and the upcoming end of Rousey’s contract prevented that.

Rousey and Baszler were put together as a team and the intention was always to break them up for a feud. The decision was made when Rousey informed WWE she was leaving and gave them an end date. Rousey asked to be put in a team with Baszler and to later feud with her. Since Baszler helped Rousey so much at the start of her wrestling career, Rousey wanted to pay her back by “giving her a program she otherwise wasn’t going to get.”

However, Rousey’s injury this year, as well as changes in the office, caused plans to get delayed. So they weren’t together long as tag team champions and had no slow build. The original plan was to give them a long reign as champions before the end.

Rousey’s end date is currently unknown. It’s possible she could be done right after Summerslam or they could stretc the feud out longer.