Former WWE and UFC star Ronda Rousey has effectively closed the book on her professional wrestling career, revealing in a candid interview that WWE repeatedly failed to deliver on promised storylines throughout her tenure.
Speaking on The Lapsed Fan podcast, Rousey confirmed that pro wrestling is “pretty much” in her rear view mirror while detailing the frustrations that led to her October 2023 departure from WWE.
“I got into WWE because I wanted to be able to wrestle with my girls, you know, the Four Horsewomen and be able to wrestle with my friends,” Rousey explained. “And they kind of dangled that carrot for my whole run and never let it happen.”
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The revelation sheds new light on one of wrestling’s most anticipated storylines that never materialized. Fans had long anticipated a feud between WWE’s Four Horsewomen (Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Sasha Banks) and their MMA counterparts (Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir, Jessamyn Duke).
Her Ultimatum to WWE
Rousey disclosed that she ultimately had to issue an ultimatum to secure her final WWE match.
“And then the second run, they kept dangling it. And then by the end, I was like, I’m f*cking leaving unless I can wrestle with Shayna [Baszler]. And that’s how I was able to do it at all.”
The match she referenced was her SummerSlam 2023 encounter with Baszler under MMA rules, which served as Rousey’s farewell to WWE.
Ironically, the only Four Horsewomen storyline Rousey received was against her own teammate.
“And now nobody even works there anymore,” Rousey noted, highlighting the complete dissolution of the MMA Four Horsewomen from WWE.
Baszler was released in May 2025 despite having three years remaining on her contract, while Shafir and Duke were released in 2021.
Life After WWE
Since leaving WWE, Rousey has appeared on the independent wrestling circuit alongside Shafir, who now works for AEW. She characterizes her WWE experience as a valuable “sabbatical” that will inform her future creative projects, including her recently published memoir “Our Fight.”
The interview provides rare insight into the creative frustrations that can drive top talent away from WWE, even when achieving championship success.