Ronda Rousey’s best moments from this year, featuring her Royal Rumble Match return, SmackDown Championship win and more.
Ronda Rousey is a former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist in Judo, who has made her mark in the world of professional wrestling. She has been a prominent figure in WWE since 2018 and has had several notable matches and moments during her time with the company.
Ronda Rousey Returns, Wins, WWE Royal Rumble 2022
Ronda Rousey made a surprise return at the 2022 WWE Royal Rumble and emerged victorious, outlasting the other competitors to win the match. Her win at the Royal Rumble guarantees her a chance to challenge for either the Raw or SmackDown Championship at WrestleMania 38. Rousey entered the match at number 28 and was able to eliminate three other wrestlers, including Charlotte Flair, to secure her win.
This victory comes amid rumors of Rousey facing Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, which was sparked by their physical match at Survivor Series where Flair brutally beat Rousey with a kendo stick. Rousey’s return to WWE has been one of the worst-kept secrets in the wrestling industry as reports of her meeting with WWE officials and being the top favorite to win the 2022 women’s Royal Rumble have been circulating for some time.
Ronda Rousey Jokes About WWE Using Her Fine Payments to Help With Budget Cuts
Ronda Rousey made a surprise appearance on this week’s Friday Night SmackDown to address a storyline fine she received for attacking a referee at SummerSlam. Instead of paying the fine, Rousey gloated by saying she had arrived with double the amount and proceeded to dump a duffle bag full of dollar bills around the ring. She then took to Instagram to joke that WWE could use the money to deal with their “budget cuts” and bring back more wrestlers.
The WWE has released well over 100 wrestlers from their contracts from April 2020 to January 2022, often citing budget cuts as the reason. However, since Paul Levesque took over as Head of Creative, he has rehired former stars such as Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Dexter Lumis and three-fourths of Hit Row, indicating a shift in WWE’s approach to talent management.
The Top 10 list of Ronda Rousey best moments of 2022
- SmackDown Women’s title win
- Wins the Women’s Royal Rumble match
- Attacks Drew Gulak
- Attacks Adam Pearce
- Beats Sonya Deville with one hand
- Her arrest
- Breaks Raquel Rodriguez’s arm
- Ruins Emma’s return
- Pays off her fine
- Returns at Royal Rumble
- SmackDown Women’s title win: Rousey could have won the SmackDown Women’s Championship in a high-stakes match.
- Wins the Women’s Royal Rumble match: Rousey could have won the Women’s Royal Rumble match, earning a title shot at WrestleMania.
- Attacks Adam Pearce: Rousey could have physically assaulted Adam Pearce, a WWE official, in a fit of rage.
- Attacks Drew Gulak: Rousey could have similarly attacked Drew Gulak, a wrestler on the roster.
- Beats Sonya Deville with one hand: Rousey could have defeated Sonya Deville in a match, showcasing her dominance and power by using only one hand.
- Her arrest: Rousey could have been arrested for her actions on WWE programming, adding to her storyline of being a “wild card” character.
- Breaks Raquel Rodriguez’s arm: Rousey could have caused a severe injury to another wrestler, Raquel Rodriguez, in a match or angle.
- Ruins Emma’s return: Rousey could have interfered in the return of a wrestler, Emma, and caused her to lose her match.
- Pays off her fine: Rousey could have paid off a fine she had been issued by WWE, gloating about her wealth and power.
- Returns at Royal Rumble: Rousey could have made a surprise return to WWE at the Royal Rumble event, catching the WWE Universe off guard.
