Ronda Rousey AEW Appearance Reportedly Tied To ‘Vendetta’ Against TKO

Ronda Rousey made a surprise appearance at AEW Revolution, where she confronted Toni Storm during an in-ring segment that also involved Marina Shafir. The moment sparked speculation about the reason for Rousey’s appearance.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the segment was designed as a one-off appearance rather than the start of a scheduled program. AEW President Tony Khan addressed the situation after the event, but did not confirm any future involvement for Rousey beyond the appearance itself. During the broadcast, AEW commentary also referenced Rousey’s upcoming MMA fight against Gina Carano, scheduled for May 16 and set to stream on Netflix.

Since the appearance, Rousey has not promoted AEW in any way, which is noteworthy since Rousey is known to heavily promote her projects.

Meltzer notes that one individual close to the situation told him that part of the motivation for Rousey’s appearance was a “vendetta” against TKO, which of course owns both WWE and UFC, over the negotiations for her fight with Gina Carano. Rousey reportedly negotiated with TKO for over a year only to have the deal fall through, allegedly because TKO changed the compensation plan for Rousey and Carano because they assumed she had nowhere else to take the fight. Rousey ended up going to Jake Paul’s MVP, and the fight will now air on Netflix.

Meltzer added that WWE was also not happy about her appearance for AEW and viewed it as an annoyance.