Fox is reportedly making a lot of requests before SmackDown Live moves to its network, and the latest is WWE moving Ronda Rousey to Team Blue.
It is no secret that WWE, or more accurately Vince McMahon, views Raw as being more important than SmackDown Live. It has been around six years longer, is three hours instead of two, and arguably has more star power. It's where Brock Lesnar has spent almost all his time since returning, the brand Roman Reigns will call home when he returns, and is also where Ronda Rousey landed once she signed.
There have been a number of things that fans thought might finally tip the scales and make things more even, but nothing has really done that. That will likely all change in 2019. Next fall, SmackDown Live will move to Friday nights on Fox in a deal that cost the network more than $1 billion. With that much money on the line, WWE will have no choice but to treat the blue brand better than it does now.
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In light of how SmackDown Live is currently treated, there have been reports Fox is already requesting that some things about the show are changed before next year. The latest is that Fox wants Rousey to be switched from Raw to SmackDown Live, as reported by Wrestling Inc. That might be easier said than done, though.
Rousey has made it very clear she wants to start a family relatively soon. Even though she is very much all in when it comes to WWE right now, there's no way of currently knowing how long her run will last. By the final quarter of 2019, Rousey may only have a limited schedule with WWE, or might not be wrestling at all. Her contract apparently takes into account the fact that she is keen to start a family soon.
Other requests that have apparently been made by Fox are SmackDown Live being altered to have a more legitimate feel, and that WWE gives Daniel Cormier a trial as an announcer. Since SmackDown Live will be a part of Fox's sports block, it makes sense that it would want the show to be more wrestling than entertainment. Whether Mr. McMahon is okay with that will become clear once the show moves next year.