Paul Heyman Teases That Ronda Rousey May Have Signed a WWE Contract Extension

Ronda Rousey’s WWE tenure may not be over next year after all, if Paul Heyman’s hints are accurate. Heyman spoke with the New York Post for a new interview hyping the season premiere of Smackdown this week and suggested that Rousey, whose current contract ends in April of next year, may have signed a contract extension.

“That’s another funny thing about people who don’t discuss their business in public forums,” Heyman said when asked if Rousey will be back in WWE before her contract runs out. “Everyone presumes that Ronda Rousey’s contract expires at a certain time. I don’t understand why people don’t realize that perhaps, just perhaps, Ronda Rousey’s contract has been extended or she has worked out a new deal and it would not benefit either WWE or Ronda Rousey to go public with that information. But why wouldn’t people understand that it would be kept secret?”

Heyman was heavily involved in working with Rousey during her time on WWE television, having been involved in the creative around her character and serving as a confidante for her. Rousey was last seen on WWE TV at WrestleMania 35 last year, and has said since she left the screen that if she would come back it would not be full-time.

Heyman suggested that if Rousey does return, it will be doing something that elevates the women’s division, noting, “Ronda Rousey is a trailblazer, and I would suggest the next time you see Ronda Rousey she will be making history in whatever she does. And if she does it with WWE, it will be something that will elevate the manner in which women’s wrestling is performed and presented because Ronda will never be the status quo. Ronda Rousey will always disrupt the status quo and create a new environment that all others must aspire to.”