Ronda Rousey confirmed she was not contacted by WWE for an appearance at the Evolution II premium live event in July. The former champion, who main-evented the first all-women’s show in 2018, clarified that her absence was not due to a scheduling conflict or her refusal to appear, but because the company never extended an invitation for the July 13, 2025 event.
In an interview with Raj Prashad of Yahoo’s Uncrowned, Rousey explained the nature of her standing with the company. “I didn’t hear from anybody. It was more of the way we left it was, they were like, ‘There’s always an open door; if you ever want to come back, let us know,’” she stated.
Rousey’s lack of involvement was notable given her history, as she defended the Raw Women’s Championship against Nikki Bella in the headline match of the original Evolution. Bella herself returned to compete in a 20-woman battle royal at Evolution II.
In the same interview, Rousey’s comments painted a broader picture of her relationship with her former employer, describing the company’s internal environment in harsh terms.
“It was a lot of needless anxiety and things like that. And the whole company was just a chaotic s—t show on the inside, and then they ended up dropping all my friends. So I really have no reason to go back,” Rousey said.
She identified that her primary remaining motivation for a WWE run would have been a storyline with the Four Horsewomen. However, with her friends no longer in the company, she sees no reason to return. “I wanted to do a run with the Four Horsewomen and I never got to do that,” Rousey explained. “And now I feel like I’ve already accomplished everything that I wanted to in WWE and all that’s really left for me is to go there and have fun with my friends, and none of my friends are there anymore.”
The members of her group have since departed WWE. Shayna Baszler was released earlier this year, Marina Shafir is with AEW, and Jessamyn Duke has been inactive since her 2021 release.
Rousey’s last match in WWE was at SummerSlam 2023, where she lost an MMA Rules match to Baszler. Since then, she has described herself as “pretty much” retired, citing creative frustrations and a desire to focus on her family.