5 Superstars Ronda Rousey should face when and if she returns to action in WWE

Last week, it was revealed that both Ronda Rousey and Cain Velasquez met with officials at WWE Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. The reason why they both showed up may be up for debate, but some are speculating that the likely reason is to discuss the return to the ring for both stars.

Rousey hasn't been seen since losing the RAW Women's title to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 35 last year in the triple threat main event. As for Velasquez, his last appearance for WWE was in a losing effort against Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel at the end of October 2019.

Both had been dealing with injuries as Rousey suffered a hand injury in 2019 while Velasquez nursed a knee injury. Each performer is apparently healthy and could conceivably return to the fold at any time.

The timing is a bit off due to the build to WrestleMania having already begun. Rousey could feasibly slate back in easier due to already having over a year of action under her belt. But who would be the best opponent for her return? Here are five people that the former UFC Bantamweight Champ should face when and if she does return soon.

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#5 Rhea Ripley

The Nightmare

It appears that the WWE/NXT Universe isn't the only audience that has been impressed with the meteoric rise of Rhea Ripley over the last six months. During an appearance with Corey Graves on his After the Bell podcast, the former RAW Women's Champion revealed that she avidly watches NXT and "would love to get in the ring with her (Ripley)."

That's not a surprise as more exposure for the NXT Women's Champion obviously means that more people would like to tangle with her. While Ripley is likely sticking around on the yellow and black brand for at least the next year, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for Rousey to battle the Nightmare one day. Charlotte Flair used her Royal Rumble win to "challenge" Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship. Flair had already wrestled both current Champs - Becky Lynch and Bayley - so many times that creative needed a new direction for the Queen since she was booked to win.

Rousey has tangled with women who were a little bigger than her, like Nia Jax, so the physical match alone would make sense. Both women also pride themselves on being tough so it wouldn't be hard to write a potential feud.

#4 Charlotte Flair

The Queen

While Rousey and Charlotte Flair have crossed paths a few times before, neither match was really built around a heated rivalry behind the two. Flair "filled in" for Lynch at Survivor Series in 2018 so there wasn't much of a build. It was merely a case that one lady was from RAW and the other represented SmackDown. Flair would go on to say on WWE Backstage that she needed that pairing to remind the world of how good and dangerous she was.

It ended in a DQ win for Rousey as Flair resorted to battering the then-RAW Women's Champ with a kendo stick. The two were also a part of the main event of WrestleMania 35 as Rousey initially was going to defend the title against just Lynch. Flair, however, was simply added to the match by Vince McMahon.

The two alpha women have never had a long program against each other for a one on one encounter. They had great chemistry in their singles match and should be paired up once more when Rousey returns to the ring. Flair is always up to prove her dominance against anyone. There's the history to play on so this would seem like a no-brainer for a marquee feud for SummerSlam or another big PPV.

#3 Asuka

The Empress of Tomorrow

One of the other fiercest women on the roster is Asuka. She was built up as the most dominant woman in NXT history with an undefeated streak. That streak was maintained until she fell to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34.

Throughout her entire run in both NXT and her early run on the main roster, the Empress of Tomorrow was booked as one of the most feared and dangerous women. She is still just that and is arguably the best female performer in all of WWE. Rousey and Asuka never had a one on one match. At the time, the Empress of Tomorrow was a part of SmackDown while Rousey was on RAW.

It makes a lot of sense to have these two face each other due to the air of legitimacy each woman possesses. They're also extremely gifted submission artists which often makes for captivating wrestling. Asuka has mainly been a featured part of the Women's Tag team division since last WrestleMania. Along with Kairi Sane, she's held the titles since Hell in a Cell in October of 2019.

The Empress of Tomorrow and Kairi Sane should both return to singles competition once they lose the titles. The booking of the belts has been inconsistent but does give some exposure to a more diverse collection of the roster. Depending on how things play out with a potential Superstar Shake Up following the Show of Shows, a showdown between Rousey and Asuka needs to happen.

#2 Shayna Baszler

Baszler has earned her title shot at WrestleMania 36.

We move on to a potential match between Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler.

The two are a part of the Four Horsewomen of MMA and all four of those women are signed to WWE. It would make sense for them to always be on the same side, but as we have seen numerous times in wrestling history, there is often a great story to tell between one friend turning on the other.

It wouldn't matter which one turns on the other because both women have a Superstar aura. Baszler's RAW debut might have fallen a bit flat through no fault of her own. However, when the two get into the ring together, there could be fireworks.

In addition to real-life friendships that could be played upon, there would also be the real-life MMA careers that could be revisited. Baszler was a pioneer for females in the sport but never had the success that Rousey had. They could battle it out with or without a title because the pairing alone would be enough for the price of admission.

#1 Becky Lynch

Rousey and Lynch have unfinished business.

This one goes without saying because we never got the one on one match between these two. From about October of 2018 to WWE WrestleMania 35 last April, there were few hotter feuds in the company than Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey. It propelled Lynch to top-dog status in the company and proved that women could main-event the Show of Shows.

On two separate occasions, a potential one on one showdown between the two fell through. They were originally supposed to face off at Survivor Series 2018 but Lynch's facial fracture at the hands of Nia Jax halted that match. Instead, Rousey faced Charlotte instead.

Once The Man won the 2019 Royal Rumble, the stage was finally set for the showdown that everyone was waiting for. The two women had done great work to sell the feud so much so that it was one of the most anticipated matches of all time. However, on the Road to WrestleMania, Lynch lost her shot, regained it and then was forced into a triple threat match also featuring Charlotte Flair. Instead of the one on one pairing, the two ladies didn't get the spotlight that their feud deserved. Because the pairing never got a complete resolution, it makes complete sense for these two to rekindle what was a fascinating program.