Ronda Rousey Says AEW Appearance Was a “F**k You” to TKO

Ronda Rousey’s AEW Revolution appearance was driven by friendship, spontaneity, and a deliberate shot at her former employers. In a new YouTube vlog, Rousey gave a behind-the-scenes look at how the night came together — and didn’t hold back about what it meant to her on a personal level.

Rousey described being smuggled into the arena to keep her presence a secret. “I was brought into the arena in a very unique — I thought this was going to be much more chill, but they’re acting like it’s freaking Royal Rumble super secret whatever. They had me jump into a wheelchair and throw a tarp over me and wheel me in here,” she said.

Her primary motivation was supporting Marina Shafir, her best friend and longtime training partner. “Marina is my best friend in the whole wide world and we grew up doing judo together as little kids. She’s absolutely crushing it and I’m so proud of her. I’m so happy that everybody’s finally starting to take notice of how incredibly special she is.”

Rousey Describes the Appearance as a Deliberate Shot at TKO Group

Rousey was candid about the deeper meaning behind choosing AEW over staying on the sidelines. After MMA return negotiations with UFC — also under TKO’s umbrella — fell apart, landing on an AEW pay-per-view felt intentional. “It’s kind of a cool little bit of a ‘f**k you’ to the TKO group, which is kind of funny because WWE is on Netflix, but I kind of figured it’d be easier to ask for forgiveness instead of permission on this one.” She also described AEW as “a less restrictive, more adult version of WWE — which sounds like a good time.” No further AEW appearances are currently planned, with Rousey’s focus shifting to her MMA return against Gina Carano on May 16 live on Netflix.