Ronda Rousey reportedly caught much of WWE off guard with her surprise appearance at AEW Revolution 2026.
According to Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer, only a small number of people within WWE were aware that Rousey planned to appear at the show. The majority of WWE personnel were reportedly surprised when she showed up.
The appearance had been kept tightly under wraps ahead of the event.
Rousey made her appearance on March 15 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles following Toni Storm’s victory over Marina Shafir.
After the match, Rousey entered the ring and confronted Storm before security rushed in to break up the situation. Rousey then exited through the crowd alongside Shafir while receiving heavy boos from the audience.
The moment marked Rousey’s first televised appearance in professional wrestling since leaving WWE in 2023.
Following her WWE departure, Rousey competed on the independent circuit and in Ring of Honor, where she teamed with Shafir. Her most recent match prior to Revolution took place in November 2023.
Rousey is also scheduled to return to mixed martial arts in May 2026, where she will face Gina Carano under Most Valuable Promotions, the promotion founded by Jake Paul. The fight is expected to air on Netflix.
It will mark Rousey’s first MMA bout since her loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December 2016.
Rousey first entered the wrestling world with her debut at WrestleMania 34 in 2018, teaming with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
During her time with WWE, she held both the Raw Women’s Championship and the SmackDown Women’s Championship before departing the company in 2023.
As of now, All Elite Wrestling has not announced whether Rousey will make additional appearances following her surprise debut at Revolution.
