WWE’s Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey didn’t hold anything back in their match at WrestleMania Backlash, and it was Rousey who would eventually lock in an armbar through a chair, causing Flair to finally say I Quit, making Rousey the new SmackDown Women’s Champion in the process. After a night of Kendo Stick hits and slams into the barricade, it made sense that there might be an injury, and WWE would reveal that Flair had suffered a fractured radius (a wrist injury) after being examined post-match, but according to a new report from Fightful Select, it appears the injury is kayfabe and is designed to give Flair some time off.
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The report says that the injury angle was booked to give Flair an out of storylines, and WWE Creative has reportedly been told that Charlotte would be taking a little time off. The injury is completely storyline, so that’s good news, but it’s not known when her time off will start or how long it will be before she returns to the ring.
It’s also not known who will step in as Rousey’s next opponent now that she’s Champion. There are several new faces on SmackDown and some returning ones, like Raquel Rodriguez, Lacey Evans, and Shotzi, who are all now in the mix on SmackDown. There are also stars like Xia Li and Aliyah, but some of the other heavy hitters like Sasha Banks, Naomi, Shayna Baszler, and Natalya are all involved in the Women’s Tag Team Title picture, so they probably won’t get involved with Rousey just yet.
The other big looming return is Bayley, and while she is supposedly a free agent, a SmackDown return seems likely. Asuka’s recent return to Raw and SmackDown’s slim women’s roster are both factors in that line of thinking, and since Rousey is a babyface at the moment, having Bayley come back full heel to face her in a new feud would be a hell of a way to kick off her return and give Rousey a big-name opponent for her new Title reign. As for WrestleMania Backlash, you can find the full results and upcoming card for the event below.
Cody Rhodes def. Seth Rollins
Omos def. Bobby Lashley
Edge def. AJ Styles
Madcap Moss def. Happy Corbin
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey (C) def. Charlotte Flair (I Quit Match)
Drew McIntyre and RK-Bro vs The Bloodline
What have you thought of WrestleMania Backlash so far? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
