Ronda Rousey is getting real about her time in WWE, and she is not holding back.
In a recent interview, Rousey opened up about how she felt during her stints with the company, saying it felt like she was doing somebody else’s impression of herself. Not exactly a ringing endorsement of how WWE used one of the biggest crossover stars they have ever signed.
Rousey had two separate runs with WWE. The first started in early 2018 when she debuted in the buildup to WrestleMania 34, where she teamed with Kurt Angle to face Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. That run saw her become Raw Women’s Champion and was largely well-received. She was presented as a legitimate force and the booking reflected her real-world combat credibility.
She stepped away in 2019 after WrestleMania 35, where she lost the Raw Women’s Title to Becky Lynch in the main event of the show. That match also involved Charlotte Flair and is still one of the most talked-about WrestleMania moments in recent memory.
Her second run kicked off at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, and that is where things got complicated. The character work shifted. The tone shifted. At points she was leaning into a smirking, sarcastic heel persona that never quite landed the way WWE seemed to want it to. Fans who had respected her the first time around were not connecting the same way, and Rousey herself clearly felt the disconnect.
When someone as decorated as Ronda Rousey says she felt inauthentic doing the job, that is not a small thing to say. She is a former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, a legitimate combat sports pioneer, and the kind of person who does not sugarcoat her experiences. If she says she felt like a caricature of herself, you believe her.
The second run ended in 2023. She lost the SmackDown Women’s Championship to Liv Morgan at Money in the Bank after Morgan cashed in her briefcase, and things wrapped up from there without a huge sendoff. It was a quiet end to what had been a massive signing.
Since leaving WWE, Rousey has been open about her complicated feelings toward professional wrestling. She has talked about the physical toll, the creative frustrations, and her desire to prioritize family. She and her husband Travis Browne have been focused on life outside of the ring, and she has shown no urgency about returning.
The quote about doing somebody else’s impression of herself is the kind of thing that sticks with you. WWE has had this pattern with celebrities and combat sports crossovers where the initial version of the character feels electric and real, and then the follow-up softens it or overcomplicates it until the magic is gone. Rousey is essentially confirming that happened to her.
Whether she ever comes back is a genuine question. The door in WWE rarely closes completely, and her name still carries enormous weight. But based on everything she has said recently, Ronda Rousey sounds like someone who made peace with walking away.
