We have some more details to pass along regarding Charlotte Flair returning to win the SmackDown Women’s Title.
As we’ve noted, Flair made her surprise return on last week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, confronting Ronda Rousey. Rousey just successfully defended the SmackDown Women’s Title against Raquel Rodriguez.
Flair then challenged Rousey to a title bout right there on the spot, which Flair was able to win after a Spear. Now, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com reports that Rousey vs. Rodriguez was planned for the Royal Rumble in 2023 since mid-November.
Meltzer added Flair winning the title was a late change of plans, as Rousey was scheduled to go in a different direction, being penciled in as the champion through WrestleMania in preliminary plans.
He also previously mentioned that Rousey vs. Becky Lynch is no longer the plan for WrestleMania 39, and that match is “very unlikely” to happen.
Previously, Charlotte Flair had not been seen since WrestleMania Backlash, where she dropped the SmackDown Women’s Title to Ronda Rousey in their I Quit match. She had suffered a fractured radius and the loss was used to write her off of television.
In her several months off, Flair actually got married to Andrade El Idolo, with names such as Apollo Crews, Finn Balor, Rey Mysterio, and Lina Fanene (Nia Jax) in attendance.
