Ronda Rousey "Likely Retired" From Pro Wrestling

A wrestling return seems increasingly unlikely for the Rowdy One.

Ronda Rousey
WWE.com

As per the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it’s believed that Ronda Rowsey is “likely retired” from professional wrestling.

Rousey last competed in the squared circle back at WrestleMania 35, being pinned by Becky Lynch in a triple threat main event that saw The Man take Ronda’s Raw Women’s Championship and Charlotte Flair’s SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Following that 2019 edition of WWE’s Showcase of the Immortals, the Rowdy One stepped back from wrestling in order to start a family with husband Travis Browne. Last month saw a beaming Rousey take to her YouTube channel to announce that she is pregnant with the couple's first child.

Advertisement

In terms of WWE, it seemed a no-brainer that they would maximise on the names under contract to give audiences a Four Horsewomen vs. Four Horsewomen rivalry pitting Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Charlotte Flair up against their MMA counterparts in Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke.

Once Duke was released by WWE earlier this month, that was a clear indicator that Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen wasn’t ever going to happen. In addition to that, can’t-miss killer Baszler is stuck in a rut on Raw, and Shafir has barely been used in-ring and was last seen at Roderick Strong’s side as Roddy quit NXT last month.

Advertisement

The Observer report does add that Ronda could still make a one-off appearance for WWE at one of the company’s major PPVs, but it is reiterated how Rousey is viewed as essentially retired.

In this post: 
Ronda Rousey
 
Posted On: 
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.