What Ronda Rousey's post-WWE run might look like

The Post’s Joseph Staszewski brings you around the world of professional wrestling every Tuesday in his weekly column, the Post Match Angle.

Less than three weeks ago, Ronda Rousey appeared to signal with a social media post that she was entering “retirement” after decades in combat sports, only to waste no time opening up the possibility of a whole new stage of her career.

She made an unannounced appearance last Thursday to tag with AEW signee and fellow Four Horsewoman of MMA Marina Shafir against Brian Kendrick and Taya Valkyrie for Lucha VaVOOM, a lucha libre and Burlesque professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles. 

It was the 36-year-old Rousey’s first match outside WWE since her loss to friend Shayna Baszler at SummerSlam on Aug. 5.

Rousey, who tapped out Kendrick with the Ankle Lock, shortly after announced she would be teaming with Shafir against opponents yet to be named at Wrestling Revolver’s Unreal pay-per-view on Nov. 16 in LA with all ticket proceeds going to Lahaina wildfire survivors.

Maybe this is all a one-time thing, but Rousey getting back involved with pro wrestling — as quickly as former athletes sign up for neighborhood rec leagues — after her WWE departure makes you wonder if the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion isn’t done in the sport. Maybe she’s just done being a full-time WWE performer.

Remember a few things:

Rousey said in a January 2020 appearance on WWE’s “After the Bell” podcast she would love to start “crashing” house shows during her first hiatus. A babyface Rousey so badly wanted to be a heel, even cutting promos on her YouTube channel more interesting than the ones she did on WWE TV in the lead-up to her WrestleMania 35 match. She said “f—k ’em” to WWE fans in her famous “wrestling is not real” video in 2019. In a 2020 interview on Steve-O’s “Wild Ride” podcast, she doubled down.

“I love the girls. I love being out there … but, at the end of the day, I was just like, ‘F–k these fans, dude,” Rousey said at that time. 

When she did return to win the 2022 Royal Rumble, she was again pushed as a babyface. Despite doing a solid job putting over young talent, Rousey’s heart never felt truly in it. She finally got to form a heel team with Baszler, something the two desperately wanted, in October before ultimately winning women’s tag team gold.

So maybe, Rousey will want to try pro wrestling on her terms, on her schedule without the creative direction of WWE. Plus, Rousey has always been about the advancement of women in the industry and this is another way to do it.

What that could look like might be even more intriguing than Rousey’s time in WWE because she is a cocky, smack-talking fighter at heart and that might get more unfiltered away from a PG product.

Rousey, who has a memoir coming out in April, could just start popping up unannounced at the bigger independent shows. Pro Wrestling Guerilla runs the Battle of Los Angeles every January and big stars are known for their surprise appearances. Shafir wrestles at DEFY and Pro Wrestling Revolver when she isn’t performing for AEW and Ring of Honor. What would stop Rousey from helping out another fellow MMA legend Josh Barnett at one of his Bloodsport events for GCW where she should have a match that truly walks the line of scripted violence? It feels like the idea of a true intergender match would interest her as well, something should couldn’t have in WWE.

Also, before Rousey’s meteoric MMA rise, she was a judo bronze medalist in the Olympics. Could she have an interest in a match in Japan for Stardom against champion Gulia or maybe a one-off Wrestle Kingdom match with New Japan to check that Tokyo Dome box and be a vicious American heel? Or maybe at one of their West Coast shows. Rousey and Mercedes Mone’ have had only one singles match back in 2019. Just saying.

Maybe none of this ever happens and Rousey really is retired to her Browsey Acres farm. But she loves to fight and have fun doing so, and her recent appearance at least opens the door for the discussion about what could come next.

It could be something special if done right.

Start Me Up

You can make the case we got one of Dynamite’s best opening segments ever last week. It started with a fiery backstage interview of MJF — setting up his match and story. Sprinkling in the man-in-the-devil mask made it feel so different than what we usually get from AEW: Immediate story and immediate intrigue for what comes next. To follow it up with MJF and Juice Robinson having a fun match and then the champ having to choose the Kingdom or The Acclaimed or someone else adds mystery for next week’s eight-man tag on Dynamite. MJF saying he’d never tag with Max Caster and refusing the scissors was the emotional cherry on top. Then…we got Kenny Omega challenging MJF for the word title on Collision. Just excellent storytelling.

The 10 Count

The Creed Brothers are an absolutely special team team and those who didn’t know found out on Raw. Please get them up to the main roster permanently and ASAP.

John Cena and Paul Heyman did a masterful job setting up the “must-win” story for the 16-time champion’s Crown Jewel match against Solo Sikoa. The one thing I would have done differently was having Cena avoid the Samoan Spike at all costs after Heyman put over how devastating it would be for him.    

If Ric Flair’s debut in AEW is the first surprise on Sting’s retirement tour, what could be next? Hope we get to see Naitch here and there along the way but I’m not sure we need him weekly. This should be Sting’s retirement tour and not Flair’s fourth.

With one vicious kick and a tremendous sell from Candice LeRae, Triple H successfully rebooted Xia Lee.

If there was any group that deserved a tag team championship moment it was Andre Chase and Duke Hudson. It adds some legitimacy back to Chase U and Jayce Jane sort of interfering adds a nice story wrinkle. Jane is to Chase U what Tori was to “Saved by the Bell.” Also, Hudson is going to have a long, prosperous career. He has great character work and continues to impress in the ring as an athletic powerhouse.

Swerve Strickland continues to knock everything he is given out of the park. His invasion of Hangman’s home was straight-up movie villain menacing with gritty-looking camera work. Prince Nanna saying he didn’t like what was going on “boss” was the cherry on top.

The whole point of Becky Lynch’s run as NXT women’s champion was to make new stars in the division. Consider it mission accomplished. The final stroke was fellow Irishwomen Lyra Valkyria pinning Lynch for the title at Halloween Havoc, with Jade Cargill looking on. A win few saw coming. Let’s see if the title continues to be defended on Raw as a quasi-mid-card title. I hope so.

It’s about time the Street Profits finally got new more serious music and lost the Solo cups this week.

It’s time for someone else but MJF to win the Dynamite Diamond ring. It’s a wasted vehicle.

Kazuchika Okada showing his goofball side while dressing up like Nick Jackson remains one of wrestling’s best running jokes. Would love to see use it more on screen.

Extra, Extra: Chris Jericho’s teased big friend…Paul Wight?

Wrestler of the Week

MJF, AEW

MJF had a week all promotions dream of from their world champion. He had two superb television title defenses, an entertaining one versus Robinson on Dynamite and an absolute classic with Omega on Collision to now become the longest-reigning AEW world champion. He is the center of multiple storylines with Caster, Jay White, Samoa Joe, Wardlow, Adam Cole and Roderick Strong — all coming together in a great opening segment of Dynamite.  

Social Media Post of the Week

Match to Watch

Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight, WWE Undisputed Universal Championship at Crown Jewel (Saturday, 1 p.m., Peacock)

It’s hard to remember a Roman Reigns opponent who was put over in the way LA Knight was on SmackDown. Cutting off Reigns’ entrance, sitting at the head of the contract signing table — Stone Cold-esque in a way — and getting the better of the champ physically twice during the show. WWE wants you to believe a title change is possible. That’s why this match will be fascinating to watch as even in potential defeat, LA Knight can become a solidified main eventer as WWE starts putting more pieces in place for its Survivor Series story.

Around the Ring

AEW will be making its New York pay-per-view debut with Worlds End at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 30.

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