By: Zack Heydorn
Ronda Rousey isn’t going to win any contests for “nicest personality” anytime soon, but that’s why she snags as much attention that she does inside of the fight business.
After a couple years out of the spotlight, 2026 is the Rousey return. On May 16, Rousey will step into the octagon again for the first time since being knocked into retirement by Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. She’s scheduled to fight Gina Carano on Netflix from inside the Intuit Dome in California. That’s her main point of emphasis, but if you look carefully, she’s back for more than just that.
Rousey is back for relevancy. She’s participating in press conferences, media interviews, and reminding the world of her pro wrestling experience at the same time. She made waves last weekend when she made a surprise appearance for AEW at the Revolution PPV event in Los Angeles.
The former UFC Champion got into the ring immediately following the Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir match on the show. While Storm celebrated her victory on the entrance ramp, Rousey stood in the middle of the ring and directed Storm to come join her. With a sly smirk on her face, Storm joined Rousey, but AEW officials were able to break the two women up before things got physical.
Public opinion of Ronda Rousey is what it should be
In the aftermath of Rousey debuting in AEW, there’s been a wide swath of opinions regarding her return to professional wrestling.
“She’s doing it to promote her Netflix fight later this year!” “Ronda is an awful person who said many deplorable things, keep her off my television!” “Why should I want to see her wrestle again?” “We all saw her last pro wrestling run for WWE, right?”
Three very different angles to take on disliking Rousey and all equally 100% accurate…