Photo credit: WWE.com
Ronda Rousey and Naomi defeated SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair and Sonya Deville in a tag team grudge match at WWE Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Rousey and Naomi prevailed despite the former UFC star having one arm tied behind her back at the behest of Deville.
Even with The Baddest Woman on the Planet being at a disadvantage, she forced the WWE official to tap out to an armbar while Flair looked on from the apron.
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The wheels were set in motion for the bout when Rousey appeared on the Feb. 4 edition of SmackDown after winning the women’s Royal Rumble match and announced her intention to face Flair at WrestleMania 38.
Deville attempted to abuse her power as a WWE official during that segment, leading to the former UFC star putting her in an armbar. Deville had her arm in a sling after that, but she removed it just prior to Saturday’s match.
The following week after Rousey’s attack on Deville, Naomi had a SmackDown women’s title match against Flair after Deville interfered in a previous bout between them.
Deville was banned from having any involvement due to the fact that she has had it out for Naomi and done everything in her power to make life miserable for the former SmackDown women’s champion in recent months.
Naomi pushed Flair to the limit and nearly knocked her off to capture the title, but The Queen was able to persevere and beat Naomi with Natural Selection.
After the match, Deville showed up and joined the titleholder in attacking Naomi. That led to Rousey making a surprise appearance and saving the challenger from further damage.
After SmackDown went off the air, WWE announced that Rousey and Naomi would join forces in a huge tag team bout against Flair and Deville at Elimination Chamber.
It was a significant development since there was some thought that Rousey wouldn’t have any matches between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 38 on April 2-3. On Saturday, she competed in her first non-Rumble match in nearly three years.
Also, Naomi and Deville were given one of the biggest opportunities of their respective careers, mixing it up with two of the top female Superstars in WWE history on pay-per-view.
Ultimately, Naomi exacted some revenge on Deville, and Rousey got a big win over Flair, which should give her plenty of momentum entering WrestleMania.
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