Ronda Rousey has returned to WWE – and is this year’s women’s Royal Rumble winner.
The “Baddest Woman on the Planet” was a not-so surprise entrant in the match during the pay-per-view from The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis on Saturday.
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Rousey, 34, will not likely chose to face SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair – who she eliminated to win the Royal Rumble – at WrestleMania 38 from AT&T Stadium in Dallas on April 3-4.
Rousey entered the Royal Rumble match at No. 28 to a huge pop.
But gone was the gear paying homage to “Rowdy Roddy” Piper.
Instead Rousey was dress in all back with the word “Baddest” across her chest in white.
She also eliminated both Bella Twins, Shotzi and with a big smile teamed up with fellow MMA Four Horsewomen Shayna Baszler for a bit.
This was Rousey’s first appearance on WWE television since she was pinned by Becky Lynch in a triple-treat match with Flair at WrestleMania 35 in 2019.
Fans flocked to social media to react to the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion making her return to the fabled squared circle.
Rousey stepped away from WWE to have a baby and her and husband Travis Brown welcomed daughter La’akea Makalapuaokalanipo in September.
Talk of the former Raw women’s champion making her return at the Royal Rumble began in the week leading up to the event as multiple reports hinted at the possibility.
Fightful reported the WWE was pushing for Rousey, who has resumed training, to come back and it was a matter of if and not when she was back with the company.
A WWE official flew to California to meet with Rousey a week prior to the Rumble and her makeup artist has been scheduled to be at the Royal Rumble and Raw, according to PWInsider.
The Wrestling Observer reported Saturday that Rousey was back with WWE for a year and would be a regular on “Friday Night SmackDown” and that her versus Flair would happen at WrestleMania this year, saving a clash with Becky Lynch for next year in Los Angeles.
This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been republished with permission