Report: Why Ronda Rousey Dropped The WWE SmackDown Women's Title Revealed

When Charlotte Flair returned to WWE TV on the December 30 edition of SmackDown, she caused a further shock by defeating Ronda Rousey there and then to regain the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Rousey has been off TV since dropping the title, with reports suggesting that Rousey and Shayna Baszler are set to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships heading into WrestleMania 39. A new report from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio suggests that this rumoured tag run is the reason Rousey dropped the title, with ‘Rowdy’ believed to have requested a run teaming with real-life friend Baszler.

It is believed that WWE originally had Rousey vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the SmackDown Women’s Championship pencilled in for Royal Rumble, but pulled the trigger on that match on December 30 - just before Charlotte's on-screen return.

As of writing, WWE’s plans for Rodriguez at WrestleMania are as yet unknown, but the former NXT Women’s Champion is set to feature in the upcoming Women’s Elimination Chamber Match for a shot at WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at Mania.