Ronda Rousey says she is done with pro wrestling

Ronda Rousey said she is "pretty much" finished with professional wrestling, telling a podcast this week that creative frustrations with World Wrestling Entertainment and unfulfilled promises about teaming with longtime friends drove her decision to leave the ring. The former UFC champion and two‑time WWE Women’s World Champion made the comments on The Lapsed Fan podcast as she outlined why she has shifted her focus to family and a burgeoning writing career.

Rousey, who last wrestled for WWE in an MMA rules match against Shayna Baszler at SummerSlam 2023, said her primary motivation for joining WWE in 2018 was to work with the other members of the so‑called Four Horsewomen: Baszler, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke. "I got into WWE because I wanted to be able to wrestle with my girls," she said, adding that the promotion repeatedly "dangled that carrot" without delivering the long‑teased storyline. She said she told WWE she would leave unless she could at least work with Baszler, a demand that led to their pairing late in her tenure.

Rousey described her departure as necessary after feeling creatively constrained. "They are never going to allow me to make it as good as it can...