Jason Burgos
It seems like Ronda Rousey may have used Tony Khan and AEW to promote her MMA return and not to set up future matches in the company when she made a surprise appearance at Revolution.
Earlier this month, the former WWE women’s champion and WrestleMania main eventer unexpectedly popped in the ring after Toni Storm’s victory over pal Marina Shafir at AEW Revolution. The UFC legend and the popular wrestler did not come to blows, but they were separated by officials, and it seemingly set up a future match between them.
However, days later, in a confusing pivot, Storm was written off television for the rest of the year. Furthermore, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported that based on his sources, the 39-year-old was not under contract to the wrestling promotion. Well, some more bad news has emerged for AEW fans hoping to see Rousey compete in the company.
According to PW Insider Elite, there are no plans for Rousey to be back in AEW in the near future. Furthermore, the appearance was booked as a one-off that was done so she could show support for Shafir, but also promote her upcoming MMA return fight against Gina Carano in May.
Did Ronda Rousey use AEW?
AEW Revolution took place at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Rousey’s first fight in a decade will also take place in LA, but instead at the Intuit Dome. Since she lives in the area and her fight will also be in the city, the report states her appearance was done to give fans a surprise and promote the May 16 bout.
Rousey could certainly sign a contract with AEW and have matches in the company later this year or in the future. But she could still do that while training for her upcoming bout. Furthermore, this wasn’t a chance for her and AEW boss Tony Khan to meet and work together for the first time. She made a surprise appearance to wrestle for Ring of Honor — which is also owned by Khan — three years ago. So they already have a working relationship.
If Rousey doesn’t end up signing with AEW, the company got a random moment that made little sense in the big picture, while she got a bunch of free promotion for her matchup on Netflix in May. As of now, it sure seems like a one-sided deal.
