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Ronda Rousey made her stunning return to WWE back at Royal Rumble at the start of 2022, nearly three years after she was last seen in the company. But to be fair, her most recent run has been pretty underwhelming.
The Rowdy One claimed victory in the Rumble, punching her ticket to WrestleMania 38 and a collision course with Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's title.
With the sports entertainment hype machine behind her, it was expected that Ronda Rousey would recapture much of the aura and adulation that encapsulated her first year with WWE. Back in 2018, she had one of the best debut years in company history.
The former UFC Champion followed in the footsteps of Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle, taking to the business like a duck to water and becoming Women's Champion almost immediately.
Ronda Rousey eventually lost the championship to Becky Lynch in the first-ever all-women main event of WrestleMania and went on a long hiatus.
Despite her prominence on television, Ronda's 2022 has been lackluster. Whether it's her middling in-ring performances or unimpressive promos, there's just something not clicking with the former mixed martial arts star. It seems like her time away has caused her to regress in her development, which is concerning given the investment WWE has made in her. Is she still worth it?
Perhaps it's time to end the Ronda Rousey experiment in WWE. She might need a change in environment to reignite her passion for the business. While it might have seemed unlikely a year ago, Tony Khan might have a legitimate shot at bringing the star to AEW.
Here are three reasons why Ronda Rousey should leave WWE for AEW and two reasons why she shouldn't.
#3. Why Ronda Rousey should leave WWE for AEW - Her recent run has been overwhelming
Can you believe that Ronda Rousey was a two-time WWE SmackDown Women's Champion in 2022? You might be forgiven for not realizing it, given how forgettable her reigns have been.
When Rousey made her stunning return to win the Women’s Rumble, she looked understandably sluggish and showed signs of ring rust. Given that she is a new mother and hasn't been active in the squared circle since 2019, there were mitigating circumstances to explain her performance.
However, there seemed to be early signs that Ronda was not up to the races for this current run. Booking her as a babyface didn't help matters as she was clearly miscast in the role. Losing her WrestleMania return match to Charlotte Flair further damaged her mystique.
After trading victories with The Queen and becoming champion once again, she would lose it to a Liv Morgan cash-in, which was another blow to her credibility. However, Ronda did win her title back and most recently defended it against Shotzi at SummerSlam.
But for one reason or another, her championship reign is just not clicking. Ronda comes across as disinterested and bland. It's almost as if she's phoning in her performances. Perhaps a move to AEW would reignite her love for pro wrestling.
Having expressed her disdain for the WWE Universe, she seems like an individual that requires love and affirmation from an adoring audience. AEW fans are sure to shower her with the kind of support that she needs to thrive once more in pro wrestling.
#2. Why Ronda Rousey shouldn't leave WWE for AEW -She needs to face Becky at WrestleMania to pay off their feud
When Ronda Rousey won the Royal Rumble, most fans thought she would cash in on her opportunity and challenge long-time rival Becky Lynch for a WrestleMania 38 championship match.
With Becky Lynch reigning as Raw Women’s Champion, fans expected to see Rousey and Lynch finally get their long-awaited one-on-one match, but instead, Rousey chose to face Charlotte Flair.
This was an unpopular choice, and the feud was underwhelming, to say the least. Lynch vs. Rousey was the marquee match that was initially planned for WrestleMania 35 before it evolved into a Triple Threat match.
Most fans are clamoring to see the dream match eventually take place at next year's WrestleMania. It would be a mistake if WWE doesn't have this planned and decides to cut its losses with the Rowdy One before it comes to fruition.
Lynch and Ronda's hatred for each other is well-documented. It could be the perfect way to re-energize the former UFC Champion once more.
#2. Why Ronda Rousey should leave WWE for AEW - She can join forces with Marina Shafir and bring along Shayna Baszler
Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir were known as the Four Horsewomen of the UFC. The longtime friends became close during their fighting days and even transitioned to WWE together.
While Ronda and Shayna have had considerable success in the company, the other two didn't become household names and left soon after.
Since then, Marina Shafir has signed with AEW and appeared prominently on their television. With Ronda's future up in the air, she might be tempted to reform her stable, this time in Tony Khan's promotion instead.
Imagine a scenario where the Rowdy One appears on a future episode of Dynamite together with the Queen of Spades to aid Shafir. It would be an epic moment and signal a new threat in the AEW women's division.
They could easily run roughshod over the current AEW women's locker room. Shayna has also been underappreciated during her WWE main roster run, though there are signs that she is forming an alliance with real-life friend Rousey. But we definitely need to see a Four Horsewomen reunion and AEW seems like the more feasible place for this to happen.
#1. Why Ronda Rousey shouldn't leave WWE for AEW - She is still a mainstream name that WWE can’t afford to lose
Despite her current struggles, Ronda Rousey remains one of the most popular names on the WWE roster. Her reputation is formidable and speaks for itself, after first becoming a phenomenon in the UFC. Indeed, she is one of the most high-profile athletes in the world today.
When WWE signed Rousey, it was hailed as one of the coups of the decade. Getting a fighter of her caliber into professional wrestling was seen as a masterstroke and a major boost to the company's mainstream exposure. Her arrival instantly put more eyes on the product and made many casual fans tune in.
It would be such a shame for WWE to lose such a huge crossover star to the competition when they have invested so much in her. While the current women's division is stacked, Rousey brings legitimacy to the division that no one has thanks to her world-class fighting background.
WWE loves the media attention to be on them, so having Ronda be an integral part of the show remains the utmost priority.
#1. Why Ronda Rousey should leave WWE for AEW - She works better in a less scripted environment
According to Fightful, Ronda Rousey's WWE verbiage is not fully scripted. Instead, she uses bullet points. Based on the delivery we've seen so far, it wouldn’t seem like she’s a ‘gist kind of gal’.
The common evaluation of her promos is that her delivery doesn’t seem natural, and you could argue that because she’s so new and she’s been thrown into the deep end with little experience, then she’s the one star you’d expect to be given scripted promos.
One would make a fair guess by imagining her thriving in an environment like AEW. If her talking segments in UFC are anything to go by, Ronda is a complete menace on the mic and is as unfiltered as they come.
Perhaps a script-free environment provided by Tony Khan's promotion will allow Ronda to showcase her personality more organically. We can't wait to see Ronda trash talk her opponents in the squared circle if she's given the chance to let loose.
