Sunday night at WWE SummerSlam in Brooklyn, New York, former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey made history when she captured the Raw women's championship from Alexa Bliss. With the dust settling on the moment, it's time to look ahead at possible opponents for the new champion -- particularly who she may face off with at the first all-women's pay-per-view, Evolution, on Oct. 28. Well there appears to already be an opponent in place for the historic event, and if anything, this will be a matchup that gets everyone talking, for better or worse. 

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Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella slated for Evolution

Over the weekend, Dave Meltzer reported on "Wrestling Observer Radio" [subscription required and recommended] that, as of this time, the planned main event for Evolution will see Rousey take on Nikki Bella. It sounded a little far-fetched at the time, but then at SummerSlam we saw the return of the Bella Twins who sat ringside for the Raw women's championship match and celebrated with Rousey in the ring following her victory. So, the seeds were planted just a bit in Brooklyn for this potential match to headline the card. 

It goes without saying that this won't be the most popular main event among WWE fans for an event of this magnitude. However, when you look at it from WWE's perspective, you could see where they believe this may be the right direction to head in. Bella still has a strong following from casual fans, and it also needs to be pointed out that Evolution will be taking place as the latest season of "Total Divas" is airing on E! Bella has been a mainstay on the reality show since its inception in 2013, so showcasing her in this match makes sense from that end as well. 

A lot can happen between now and Oct. 28, and hardcore fans may not be pleased, but we could be headed toward a Rousey-Bella showdown at the Nassau Coliseum to close the festivities. 

More WWE news, rumors

  • Speaking of main events, Sunday night at SummerSlam the universal title reign of Brock Lesnar came to an end after he was (finally) defeated by Roman Reigns. Lesnar is now expected to head back to the UFC to eventually challenge Daniel Cormier for the heavyweight championship, and following the loss, Cormier -- a lifelong wrestling fan -- wasted no time in getting the hype train rolling by taunting his future opponent. 
  • We now have an answer to the question of what New Japan Pro-Wrestling will do with the junior heavyweight championship following the unfortunate neck injury suffered by Hiromu Takahashi. NJPW announced that Takahashi has been stripped of the championship, and now a four-man tournament will commence to decide the new champion. Kushida will face Bushi at Destruction in Kobe on Sept. 23, while Will Ospreay and Marty Scurll will square off when the promotion returns to Long Beach, California, on Sept. 30 for Fighting Spirit Unleashed. The winners will meet to crown a new champion at a date still to be determined. 
  • Monday night on the post-SummerSlam Raw, we'll find out what's next for new champions Reigns and Rousey as the company is advertising a new era beginning for the flagship show. WWE is also teasing whether Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre can co-exist for much longer after Seth Rollins captured the intercontinental championship on Sunday; whether anyone can stop the B-Team and their championship reign; and what the future holds for Finn Balor after the demon character reappeared at SummerSlam to squash Baron Corbin.