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Ronda Rousey is a legend in combat sports, helping to usher in a new era in mixed martial arts in UFC and women’s wrestling with WWE.
Rousey’s absence from pro wrestling was much shorter than her decision to return to an MMA cage. She departed WWE in October 2023 following a rivalry with Shayna Baszler. It was only two weeks after she left the company that she showed up on the independent scene.
“The Baddest Woman on the Planet” was all of a sudden appearing at Lucha VaVoom and Pro Wrestling Revolve before making an appearance with Ring of Honor. She told Fox News Digital that she wanted to work with her friend, Marina Shafir.
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Ronda Rousey holds a trophy onstage after becoming the first female inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame at The Pearl concert theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nev., on July 5, 2018. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“By the time I was out, I was like, I would still love to work with Marina because Marina was still active and we were trying to figure out, ‘Oh, when you were in town, maybe we can figure something out.’ And I just had a short, little window for some reason to be able to do it. We were trying to get pregnant again,” she said. “We were going to start IVF early in the year.
“We couldn’t really find anything that worked out. So, we reached out to Pro Wrestling Revolver and were like let’s do a charity show to raise money for the Lahaina wildfire survivors. So, that’s kind of how that all came about. There was also a Lucha VaVoom show we were also able to crash in the meantime.”
Rousey performed at Pro Wrestling Revolver and then stepped back into the shadows – that was until this past March.
She was in the midst of training camp for her return MMA match against Gina Carano when she showed up at the Crypto.com Arena to confront “Timeless” Toni Storm following her match with Shafir at All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) Revolution pay-per-view in March.
RONDA ROUSEY MAKES SURPRISE APPEARANCE AT AEW REVOLUTION
While she received questions about doing a match at the time, she said there was no way she was going to do it because she had to focus on the Carano fight.
“So, then, we got to do the Revolver show and that was awesome and then this last run-in with AEW,” Rousey said. “I didn’t get to do anything at all because I was in training camp and all these people we’re like, ‘Oh, is Ronda gonna do a match?’ I’m like, I’m in training camp. You guys are crazy. I’m not going to be doing any matches while in training camp. … I love Toni Storm, I love Marina and it was fun to be there for Marina’s first pay-per-view match as well. I didn’t want to take away from their moment but maybe put a little bit of a spotlight on it and a little bit of a nudge to my upcoming fight.”
Now, Rousey’s appearance with AEW coincided with Storm being attacked during an AEW storyline on the next episode of “Dynamite” following Revolution.
Fox News Digital asked Rousey whether she was the one who attacked Storm.
“Oh, I wasn’t ready for that question … next question, next question,” she said, jokingly clearing her throat.
However, Rousey made clear that getting involved in pro wrestling full time or even part time would be a major endeavor that wasn’t conducive to what she wanted to do with her life moving forward.
“I think, just, we’re trying to have another kid now and all this stuff,” Rousey said. “That lifestyle, being on the road and wrestling, it’s just not conducive at all to having multiple kids.
“We were able to make it work for a little while. It’s just not doable anymore. I could be open to doing some things if it works out and it’s local. We’re looking to move to Hawaii and it would be kinda cool to open a little school.”
Ronda Rousey looks on before her featherweight bout against Gina Carano during the main card of Netflix’s Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on May 16, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix)
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Rousey proved to be one of the greatest mixed martial artists when she quickly defeated Carano in a dream bout earlier this month.
Days later, she added another accolade to her impressive resume. She partnered with Castrol to become the oil company’s new brand ambassador.
“I’m the best at what I do and I wouldn’t want to partner with anybody unless they’re the best at what they do. Luckily, Castrol is,” Rousey said, adding that shooting the commercial for the company was “really fun” and a high-quality experience.
Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano pose for a photo after their featherweight bout during the main card of Netflix’s Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., on May 16, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix)
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The campaign will have Rousey highlighting “Castrol EDGE Extended Performance’s proven ability to perform in 7 critical areas – pressure, power, fuel economy, high-temperature performance, cleanliness, wear protection, and endurance,” according to a news release.