Ronda Rousey Returns To Win Women's WWE Royal Rumble 2022

The Rowdy One returns for roaring Rumble result.

by Andrew Pollard
WWE Royal Rumble 2022 Ronda Rousey
WWE.com

Following much speculation across the past week, Ronda Rousey made her WWE return at last night's Royal Rumble PPV.

While the rumour mill had been rife that the Rowdy One would be appearing in some form or fashion at the Rumble, Rousey entered - and won! - the women's Royal Rumble match to cement herself a spot at WrestleMania 38.

Entering at #28, the former Raw Women's Champion eliminated five competitors - Nikki A.S.H., Brie Bella, Shotzi, Natalya and Charlotte Flair - as part of her triumphant return. Now, it just remains to be seen which title and rival Rousey will put in her crosshairs for this year's Showcase of the Immortals.

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As alluded to, SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair was a part of the women's Rumble, and her 'final two' interaction with Ronda could clearly lead to the pair facing off at WrestleMania 38. On the other side of the WWE fence, Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch retained her prize against Doudrop at last night's PPV, picking up the victory with a second-rope Manhandle Slam.

Of course, the legendary UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion has previous with both Flair and Lynch, with those three in action during Rousey's prior WWE match - that being a triple threat encounter at WrestleMania 35, where Becky emerged victorious to take home both the Raw and SmackDown Women's Titles.

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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 day job, 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. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.