Former WWE Women’s World Champion Ronda Rousey has revealed that she was not contacted by WWE to be a part of the recent all-women’s Evolution II premium live event. In a new interview, the UFC Hall of Famer, who headlined the inaugural Evolution event in 2018, explained that while the company has an “open door” policy for her, she did not receive an invitation to appear at the historic show in July.
The first-ever Evolution pay-per-view in 2018 was a landmark event for women’s wrestling, and it was main evented by Ronda Rousey defending the Raw Women’s Championship against Nikki Bella. When WWE brought back the all-women’s PLE for a second installment on July 13, 2025, many fans were surprised that Rousey was not in attendance, especially given her role in the first show’s main event. Her former opponent, Nikki Bella, was a part of the show, competing in a 20-woman battle royal.
Speaking with Raj Prashad of Yahoo’s Uncrowned, Rousey was asked about her absence from the event. She confirmed that she was not invited to be a part of the show, but that she left the company on good terms. “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,’” Rousey said. Her statement clarifies that her absence was not a case of her turning down an offer, but rather that an offer was never made.
Rousey’s final match in WWE took place at the SummerSlam premium live event in August 2023, where she lost an “MMA Rules” match to her real-life friend, Shayna Baszler. While she made a few appearances on the independent circuit and for Ring of Honor after her WWE exit to team with her friend Marina Shafir, she has been away from the ring since then.
In other recent interviews, Rousey has stated that she is “pretty much” retired from professional wrestling. She has cited frustration with the creative process during her WWE run and wanting to focus on her family and her writing career as the primary reasons for her decision to step away from the business.