Ronda Rousey made her presence felt at AEW Revolution 2026 on Sunday night, confronting Toni Storm in a post-match appearance that immediately set the wrestling world buzzing.
The moment came after Storm defeated Shafir in a match where everyone had been banned from ringside at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. Shafir controlled the early portion of the bout, getting the jump on Storm and delivering a back suplex on the floor. Storm fought back, biting the foot of Shafir before beginning her comeback. She connected with the Storm Zero and ultimately secured the victory with a small package pinfall.
After the match, Rousey entered the ring and called for Storm to return. The two came face to face in a tense staredown before security moved in to separate them. Shafir then landed a cheap shot on Storm during the chaos.
Rousey is preparing for an MMA return against Gina Carano scheduled for May, adding an additional layer of intrigue to her appearance at a wrestling event.
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The connection between Rousey and Shafir runs deep and predates professional wrestling entirely. The two are members of the MMA Four Horsewomen, a group that also includes Shayna Baszler and Jessamyn Duke. Rousey’s most recent wrestling appearance came at a Ring of Honor event in November 2023, where she teamed with Shafir against Billie Starkz and Athena.
In WWE, Rousey was a three-time women’s champion, holding the Raw Women’s Championship and the SmackDown Women’s Championship twice. She departed the company following her SummerSlam 2023 loss to Baszler and had largely stepped away from professional wrestling since. In interviews leading up to Sunday’s appearance, Rousey had suggested she believed her professional wrestling career was behind her, stating she had “no reason to go back” to WWE and that she had “already accomplished everything” she wanted to in the business.
Shafir has been a member of Jon Moxley’s Death Riders stable in AEW for much of the past year and had been feuding with Storm heading into Revolution. Shafir had spoken ahead of the event about her plans to attend Rousey’s MMA fight against Carano on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, a bout being promoted under Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions banner.
Rousey’s appearance at Revolution opens a significant door for AEW. Storm is one of the promotion’s most prominent stars and a former AEW Women’s World Champion, making a program between the two a compelling prospect if Rousey is willing to step back into the ring before her MMA return in May.
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