WWE Reaction To Ronda Rousey AEW Debut

Published: Mar 16, 2026 by Jamie Toolan | Last Updated: Mar 16, 2026 by Jamie Toolan

Jamie has been covering the world of wrestling for four years and currently holds the position of Assistant Editor of WrestleTalk.com. During his time working for WrestleTalk.com he has written and published over 4,000 news and feature articles covering events and happenings from WWE, AEW, TNA and a variety of international and independent wrestling promotions.

WWE’s internal reaction to Ronda Rousey’s AEW debut at Revolution 2026 has now been revealed.

Last night’s AEW Revolution 2026 pay-per-view featured several big surprises, with Adam Copeland & Christian Cage returning from a six month absence to confront FTR and Will Ospreay coming back from neck surgery to confront Jon Moxley and the Death Riders.

Perhaps the biggest surprise however, came about following Timeless Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir, when former WWE and UFC star Ronda Rousey made her AEW debut and challenged Storm to a face-to-face inside the ring.

After Rousey and Storm had to be held back by security, Shafir returned to the ring and blindsided Storm from behind. Rousey and Shafir then left the Crypto.com Arena through the crowd.

Following AEW Revolution, Bryan Alvarez reported that WWE were “shocked” by Rousey showing up in AEW, adding on Wrestling Observer Radio that only some in the company knew that she would be appearing at the show.

Alvarez said:

“There were some people in WWE that knew but many, many did not.”

If you use this transcription or any portion of it please credit WrestleTalk.com and link to this page.

Ronda Rousey Arrives In AEW Ahead Of Blockbuster MMA Return

Ronda Rousey’s return to pro wrestling via AEW comes two months ahead of her much-discussed return to the octagon on May 16.

Taking on fellow women’s MMA legend Gina Carano, Rousey’s fight will be her first since losing to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December 2016.

Rather than in UFC, where she made her name in MMA, Rousey’s fight with Carano is under the banner of Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and will stream live on Netflix.

Fan Reaction To Ronda Rousey’s AEW Debut

Rousey was met with a frosty reaction from the fans in Los Angeles following her surprise debut and subsequent attack of Toni Storm alongside Shafir.

The negative sentiment towards Rousey by some wrestling fans stretches back to her time in WWE, with the former three-time WWE Women’s Champion being publicly outspoken about her time in the company.

The most recent example of this came in September 2025, when Rousey described her 2018 feud with Alexa Bliss as “f**king ridiculous.”

In response, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T said that Rousey’s comments were a “spit in the face” of professional wrestling.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that, despite how fans feel about Rousey, it’s good for AEW to form a partnership with her:

“It’s good for them (AEW) to have a strategic alliance with her because in the real world, whether wrestling fans like her or not, in the real world her name carries a lot of weight.

“If you don’t think so, ticket sales for the fight answer your question about, ‘Is she a draw?’ She’s a draw right now and even if she wasn’t, with TV executives her name carries a lot of weight.”

If you use this transcription or any portion of it please credit WrestleTalk.com and link to this page.