WrestleMania 34 is going to be a historic show with plenty of reasons to tune in, but one of the biggest Sportscenter moments is going to be Ronda Rousey’s first match in WWE. She will team up with Kurt Angle to take on Stephanie McMahon and Triple H and everyone is hoping for the best.
The story was told on television that Ronda Rousey wanted a piece of Stephanie McMahon first but the boys got involved. However, the initial idea for this match was much different.
It was noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the role Kurt Angle currently fits into was originally supposed to go to The Rock. This match would have recreated their WrestleMania 31 confrontation and completed that storyline. However, Dwayne Johnson has a lot of money in his name and movie studios have a ton riding on his health.
After hurting himself during his second Mania match against Cena which set production of Hercules back, movie studios aren’t taking any chances on The Rock working a match. So since The Rock was out, Dave Bautista says he got a call.
It is noted that Batista is saying he was asked to team with Ronda Rousey next after The Rock was a no-go. It wasn’t mentioned exactly why The Animal said no, but he did explain why he turned down a WWE Hall Of Fame induction.
It’s odd Batista turned down this spot with Rousey because it would have been a very high profile match and he would have been working with Triple H again which is something he said that he wanted to do.
But since The Rock had movie studio insurance issues and Batista obviously turned down the idea for whatever reason, it looks like Kurt Angle was the next best thing but he’s still a great choice.
Even without Batista involved, the big Mania mixed tag match will still be pretty great this year. It was mentioned on Wrestling Observer Radio recently that Rousey might very well end up submitting Triple H via armbar when all is said and done, but her partnership with a fellow Olympian like Kurt Angle will still be a good fit.
