Ronda Rousey Shows Up at AEW Revolution, Calls Out Toni Storm
Read Time:3 Minute, 34 Second
A shocking moment unfolded at AEW Revolution when Ronda Rousey made a surprise appearance following the match between Toni Storm and Marina Shafir.
Storm had just defeated Shafir when the arena erupted as Ronda Rousey appeared. After removing her jacket, the former UFC champion looked ready to scrap.
‘Timeless’ Toni Storm quickly power-walked back to the ring, and the two stood face-to-face in a tense standoff as officials rushed in to keep the situation from escalating.
Nothing physical ultimately happened between Storm and Rousey, but the moment quickly spiraled into chaos. As staff worked to separate the two, Marina Shafir blindsided Storm with a sucker punch, dropping the AEW star to end the segment.
The moment instantly became one of the most talked-about surprises of the night.
Rousey’s MMA Return Against Gina Carano
Rousey’s appearance in AEW comes at a fascinating time in her career, as the former UFC champion prepares for a long-awaited return to mixed martial arts.
Rousey will face Gina Carano on May 16th in a featherweight bout that will stream live globally on Netflix. The fight will headline a major card promoted by Most Valuable Promotions and take place at the Intuit Dome in California.
The bout will be contested at 145 pounds over five five-minute rounds under the Unified Rules of MMA.
For Rousey, the fight represents her first MMA appearance since 2016, meaning she will return to competition after nearly a decade away from the cage.
Carano’s return will be even longer in the making. The former Strikeforce star has not fought since 2009, making the matchup a clash between two pioneers of women’s MMA who helped bring the sport into the mainstream.
Rousey’s Public Shots at the UFC
Leading up to the fight, Rousey hasn’t held back when discussing the current state of the UFC.
At the kickoff press conference, Rousey criticized fighter pay and the direction of the company, claiming the promotion no longer prioritizes fighters the way it once did.
She has also openly mocked the UFC’s upcoming White House event, bluntly stating that the card “sucks” while suggesting the fight fans really wanted was her long-discussed matchup with Carano.
According to Rousey, the UFC had the opportunity to promote the fight but passed on it. Now, the bout is happening outside the organization entirely, headlining Netflix’s first live MMA event.
The move has positioned Rousey as more than just a returning fighter. She appears determined to challenge the traditional business model of the sport while advocating for better pay and opportunities for athletes.
The Tweets Fueling the Moment
Rousey and others involved in the buildup have been vocal online about the upcoming fight and the rivalry surrounding it.
Rousey’s posts have only added fuel to the hype surrounding the event as Netflix pushes into combat sports with a major crossover fight.
A Possible Message to TKO
Rousey appearing in AEW also carries a deeper layer of meaning.
While promoting her memoir Our Fight, Ronda Rousey didn’t hold back when discussing her experience in the company. In interviews and social media posts, she openly criticized WWE’s backstage environment and singled out longtime executive Bruce Prichard.
At one point, Rousey bluntly stated that Prichard and John Laurinaitis could “go f* themselves,”** while explaining that she originally planned to say much more about them in her book before word limits forced her to cut it down. She also described WWE behind the scenes as an “absolute sh*t show.”
With WWE and the UFC now operating under the TKO umbrella, Rousey showing up in a rival promotion while promoting a fight outside the UFC ecosystem feels significant.
In many ways, the moment reads like a very public message to the companies that once defined her career.
She’s not fighting for the UFC.
She’s not returning to WWE.
Instead, Rousey is promoting her own fight, working with new partners, and now showing up on one of WWE’s biggest competitors. And if AEW Revolution proved anything, it’s that she still knows exactly how to get the combat sports world talking.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
100 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
About Post Author
