Ronda Rousey Vs. Sasha Banks Confirmed For WWE Royal Rumble 2019

A huge first-time bout for WWE's first pay-per-view of the year.

By Andy H Murray /

WWE.com

Last night's WWE Raw brought a fresh new opponent for Women's Champion Ronda Rousey, who'll defend her championship against Sasha Banks at 27 January's Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

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Rousey was a guest on Alexa Bliss' new Moment Of Bliss interview segment. 'Rowdy' claimed she wanted a bout against Banks, as she admires her, drawing Nia Jax and 'The Boss' from the back, leading to a number one contender's match between the two title hopefuls.

A back-and-forth power vs. speed battle followed, though Banks vs. Jax was marred by a couple of notable botches and muted crowd reactions. Regardless, the fan favourite scored the victory in the end. A sloppy apron headscissor takedown eventually led to Sasha tapping Nia out with the Bank Statement, after tag partner Bayley had negated Tamina's threat on the outside.

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Rousey vs. Banks is a potentially mouthwatering clash between two of the women's division's biggest stars. There'd been talk of a rematch between Ronda and Survivor Series opponent Charlotte Flair on the Rumble card, but few will complain about this first-time ever clash, as sudden as Sasha's elevation was.

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It's been a long, long time since 'The Boss' had a memorable PPV singles match. Let's hope 27 January delivers.