Ronda Rousey's absence from Raw rubbed fans the wrong way, but it turns out, her advertisement for the show was never supposed to appear.
According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, Rousey had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for yesterday in Pittsburgh, yet the WWE.com listed her for last night’s show in Detroit, which she was unable to attend. Despite her absence from last night’s match, Rousey is expected to be at every Raw event until Wrestlemania 34 on Sunday, April 8, 2018, in New Orleans, where she will team up with Kurt Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion also reiterated on the Ellen that she would not be returning to MMA.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I think it’s just as likely as me going back to another Olympics for judo. No one demanded a written resignation from me for judo, and I don’t think the same thing is necessary for fighting, and I’m just doing what I enjoy. WWE is what I enjoy right now.”
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Rousey, who signed with the organization in January is scheduled to make her official debut at WrestleMania 34. A longtime fan of the WWE, Rousey believes her transition from professional mixed martial arts to wrestling will be relatively seamless.
“I’m nervous, but it’s not like, Olympics nervous,” she said. “The worst thing that can happen is I’ll look stupid, which is not the worst thing that could really happen. So I can’t think of the last time I was so excited for anything.”
UFC President Dana White, who has supported Rousey in her move from the MMA to the WWE, has said the move to professional wrestling is positive and has discouraged her from returning to MMA.
“I wouldn’t want to see it,” White said in November. “I don’t want it to have to happen. I care about her, and she’s got enough money. She’s got enough money and all of that stuff. I don’t want to see it happen.”
Rousey’s MMA career came to an unfortunate end after she was KO’d in less than one round by Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. This came on the heels of a 13-month hiatus after losing to Holly Holm at UFC 193, which stripped Rousey of her bantamweight championship title. Despite her downfall, Rousey has been credited for opening the door for women in the UFC. She hopes her presence in the WWE also has an impact.
“I’ve never been on a team my whole life,” she said. “When I was a swimmer, I was alone. When I did judo, I was alone. When I was a fighter, I was alone. With wrestling, it’s like a big team. Everyone’s trying to work together to make it as great as possible.”