Ronda Rousey Addresses Her WWE Future After SummerSlam 2023
Ronda Rousey seems to be done with WWE for now
Ronda Rousey was on the losing end of her "MMA Rules" match with Shayna Baszler at the SummerSlam premium live event this past weekend in Detroit. It was then reported that the match would be Rousey's last in WWE, at least for the foreseeable future. The UFC Hall of Famer took to Instagram after the bout with photos from the match, writing, "[Shayna Baszler] you were the reason I got into this business... Now I got no reason to stay."
While she famously appeared in a segment at WrestleMania 31 involving Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, she wouldn't make her in-ring debut until WrestleMania 34 three years later. While she'd have a notable break in-ring action from WrestleMania 35 in 2019 to the 2022 Royal Rumble, she'd still compete in 142 WWE matches. Her list of accomplishments includes two reigns as SmackDown Women's Champion, one reign as Raw Women's Champion (which held the record for longest reign for a time), a brief run as WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Baszler, a Women's Royal Rumble win and the honor of being in the first WrestleMania main event to only feature women.
WWE SummerSlam 2023 Results
- Logan Paul def. Ricochet
- Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
- LA Knight wins the SummerSlam Battle Royal
- Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey (MMA Rules)
- Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def. Drew McIntyre
- World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor
- WWE Women's Championship: Bianca Belair def. Asuka & Charlotte Flair
- WWE Women's Championship: Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair
- Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso (Tribal Combat Rules)
Shayna Baszler on Her Personal Issues With Rousey
While Baszler and Rousey are close friends in real life, the former NXT Women's Champion claimed in a recent appearance on The Bump that their onscreen feud was rooted in real issues. She'd then go on to mention their time together in MMA during emotional pre-match promos.
"One thing I've always said about wrestling fans, I guess sports fans in general, is they can smell when you're faking the funk. All this is like legit and real talk. I think they connect to stuff that's real," Baszler explained. "I have seen some stuff from people like, 'Who am I supposed to be cheering for? Who's the bad guy?' ...You just cheer for who you like. And it just happens to be me, because the stuff I'm saying is real. And if we're being honest, the stuff I'm saying is the stuff fans have been saying ever since Ronda got signed [by WWE]. So, I'm done being quiet about it."