Backstage News On Ronda Rousey Being Booked For ROH

While many expected the UFC Hall of Famer to have left wrestling after departing WWE earlier this year, Ronda Rousey recently made appearances on the independent circuit, and then a surprising debut in Tony Khan's ROH. This sparked speculation that Rousey was due to sign with AEW, which Khan himself confirmed not to be the case.

This week's "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" shed further light on Rousey's status, reiterating that hers was believed to have been a one-show deal. In all of her post-WWE appearances, Rousey has teamed with Marina Shafir. They teamed together against ROH Women's World Champion Athena and AEW star Billie Starkz during a Los Angeles Wrestling Revolver event, with the match ending in disqualification after Athena hit Rousey with her title belt. The DQ finish set the scene for the teams to rematch during ROH's tapings in LA, which WON notes had been explicitly laid out by Khan when giving the greenlight on Shafir working Wrestling Revolver. Khan apparently hadn't initially wanted to approve Shafir's appearance, due to his own promotions running shows in LA that same week. 

WON further reports that Jon Moxley helped push for the booking, owing to his friendship with Revolver promoter Sami Callihan and admiration for Shafir. Khan eventually agreed to the match in return for getting Rousey to wrestle in ROH, and she later picked up the win in the main event. It's not expected to be a long-term arrangement, as WON also notes that this entire run of matches is so Rousey can work with Shafir before having another child.

As far as Rousey working for AEW or ROH again, WON reports that there are no immediate plans for her to continue with the company, adding that there had been a lot of tension regarding negotiations, but the matches were well-received so it was a positive outcome. During her ROH match, Rousey made gestures for the title belt, which led to the idea she would later challenge for the ROH Women's Title, but apparently that isn't the case at all. 

Rousey herself is said to have been happy with her reception in ROH, having felt that an AEW crowd would go "nuts for her" as a surprise. Khan has at least left the door open publicly for her to return, but the idea that it was a one-off deal had been circulating even before he said that. WON notes that when "Rowdy" left WWE after SummerSlam, the plan had been for her to phase out of wrestling and commit to her family. Given her California residency, it makes sense that her recent appearances have been a matter of convenience, and she isn't expected to tour within wrestling anytime soon. 

In all of her appearances, Rousey has worked opposite AEW-signed talent. Her first foray was at a Lucha VaVoom event, working alongside Marina Shafir against Brian Kendrick and Taya Valkyrie. None of her appearances were singles bouts, lending to the fact she only wanted to work with her friend, something they had never got the chance to do during their shared WWE tenure.