It appears Ronda Rousey is all but done with the WWE. The former MMA star’s arrival to the WWE was one of the biggest additions to the company in recent memory, making an immediate splash after joining the pro wrestling circuit full-time in 2018. While Rousey came in with a bang, she disappeared quietly, having not appeared on any WWE programming in over a year, suggesting her time with the company may have been coming to an end for a while now.
Rousey officially debuted with the WWE at WrestleMania 34 in 2018 and took home her first title at that year’s SummerSlam, earning the Raw Women’s Championship. She lost that title after 231 days with a WrestleMania 35 defeat at the hands of Becky Lynch, which currently stands as Rousey’s last appearance, meaning she lasted almost exactly a year in the WWE. While rumors surrounding her interest in professional wrestling hounded her after retiring from the UFC, her reception from fans after joining the WWE wasn’t always positive.
Rousey recently appeared on the Wild Ride! with Steve-O podcast, where she publicly revealed more about her separation from the WWE. She discussed how the travel was wearing on her and preventing her from spending enough time with her family. But she also claimed that she felt she was receiving no respect from WWE fans, causing her motivation to fight in front of them to wane even further. Nevertheless, she enjoyed performing, saying “having fake fights for fun is just the best thing.“
That comment sparked even more backlash from her fellow WWE fighters, who resent the idea of the sport being called “fake.” Star Nia Jax is one of the fighters who responded, threatening to knock Rousey out the next time they stepped into the ring. Alexa Bliss also brought up the toll WWE fighting takes on someone, discussing the injury that forced her out of the ring for almost a year. Rousey refused to back down, however, taking to Twitter to defend her position and incite further anger towards her.
The timing of Rousey’s comments are interesting, as they came less than a week after the WWE had to put on its most challenging WrestleMania ever, stretching it to two nights and performing theatrics without the presence of any fans. The lack of cheers and groans elicited a conversation about whether or not to view WWE fighters through a prism of being athletes or entertainers. Ronda Rousey seems to have settled on the latter answer – if she ever does return to the WWE for special events, her comments will certainly make her a big target.
