Ronda Rousey Makes Surprise Wrestling Return At Non-WWE Event With AEW Star

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“The Baddest Woman on the Planet” Ronda Rousey shocked many wrestling fans Thursday night when she returned to the ring in a non-WWE event. Especially since she did it while working with a current All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star.

During the show at Lucha VaVOOM in Los Angeles Thursday night, Rousey was seated ringside to watch her friend Marina Shafir, who is currently on the AEW and Ring of Honor rosters.

“@luchavavoom was honestly the best Lucha/burlesque hybrid show I’ve ever had the pleasure of jumping into unannounced,” Rousey wrote on Instagram alongside a full video of her match.

“Anyone who doubted me and @marinashafir could make magic in a ring is an idiot – thank you @thetayavalkyrie and @mr.briankendrick for being down to get down with us.”

Interestingly, the 35-year-old Shafir, who hails from Moldova, was actually signed to WWE from 2018 to 2021.

She also has an interesting history with Ronda Rousey.

Ronda Rousey was the WWE RAW women’s champion for 231 days during Shafir’s run with WWE before losing in the main event at WrestleMania 35 in 2019 then leaving the company for the first time.

Rousey would later return to WWE in January of 2022, but retired from WWE on October 11, 2023, but would not have the same success she had during her initial run with the company.

Shafir and Rousey, who both have backgrounds in judo, had trained together at Glendale Fighting Club. They also lived together for several of years in Venice, Calif. along with current WWE star Shayna Baszler and Jessamyn Duke, a former mixed martial artist and WWE wrestler.

The four women would refer to themselves as the Four Horsewomen, but never actually got to work together as a group in WWE despite being under contract for much of the same time.

All of that could mean the former UFC champion was taking a thinly-veiled shot at WWE with her comment about anyone doubting them making a great team.