-1.jpg?q=50&fit=contain&w=1140&h=&dpr=1.5)
The Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey feud has been a major disappointment and is failing rather miserably.
When the former UFC star returned at the Royal Rumble in January, fans were excited to see her back in WWE, but the feud with Charlotte Flair leading into WrestleMania has fallen flat.
Having won the Rumble, Rousey chose Flair as her opponent for the Showcase of the Immortals, but the build to the match has been extremely disappointing so far, leaving many fans uninterested in what should be seen as a marquee match.
Rousey Has Been Miscast
If Rousey's last stint in the WWE taught fans anything, it's that she works best as a villain. She struggled to adhere herself to audiences once the initial buzz of her debut wore off, and fans turned on her pretty quickly. She is electric as a cocky, dominating villain, and is much better suited in that role, but the decision was made to bring her back as a face.
For one reason or another, Rousey just isn't that likable and is miscast as a hero. She is the perfect villain, and it's mind-boggling that WWE didn't realize from her first run as a face, that it just wasn't what fans wanted.
Hell, she even briefly teamed up with heel Shayna Baszler in the Royal Rumble match, someone she has a highly publicized friendship with, and the two looked great together, so the decision to have the former champion revert back to a babyface role immediately after is a bizarre one.
Fans Wanted Rousey vs. Becky Lynch
Despite her heel turn at Summerslam, Becky Lynch is still one of the most popular wrestlers on the WWE roster, and fans were eager to see Big Time Becks finally get that one on one match at WrestleMania with Rousey, but instead, Charlotte is the one picked to take on the former UFC champion.
It's not the first time WWE has chosen to go in a different direction to where fans were hoping things would head, but it doesn't make the decision to go with Flair over Lynch any less disappointing. There's history between the Raw women's champion and Rousey, and having the two meet at WrestleMania for the championship feels like the biggest possible match WWE had to offer in the women's division.
Sure, Charlotte and Rousey might put on a decent enough show, but the build-up and the fans' hype around the eventual match, pales in comparison to what they would have gotten if the 35-year-old had headed to Raw in pursuit of the Man's title instead.
Fans Have Grown Tired Of Charlotte
After years and years of being on top, fans have grown tired of seeing Charlotte Flair featured in a prominent position. She's been a constant figure in at least one of WWE's women's championship scenes almost throughout the entirety of her main roster run, and fans are tired of watching her in the role.
Rousey's return should have been an exciting one that offered WWE should fresh matchups, but the decision to return to her past feud with Flair is an unimaginative one. It sucked the air out of the former UFC star's return almost immediately, and fans have struggled to buy into the subsequent feud as they just aren't interested in Charlotte anymore. They've grown bored with her, and it's hindered the entire rivalry with Rousey.
Ronda Is Clearly Showing Ring Rust
Ronda's clear ring rust hasn't made the situation any easier though. She has often looked like she's a step behind everyone else since her return at the Rumble, and she isn't quite the wrestler she was when she left the company. This has led to segments between the two looking sloppy and has fans questioning the decision to immediately push her back into such a prominent role without letting her get back into the swing of things. With that being said, Charlotte is one of the best women's wrestlers of all time and if anyone can get a good match out of a rusty Rousey, it's her.
A feud between two key figures in the company such as Rousey and Flair should be built up as a major attraction, but the rivalry between the two has been forced to take a step back on several occasions recently as WWE shoehorned Sonya Deville and Naomi into the storyline and that hasn't helped matters either.
As WrestleMania approaches, and fanfare surrounding the feud continues to wane, one can only ponder just how electric a rivalry between Rousey and Lynch would have been.