Ronda Rousey’s surprise appearance at AEW Revolution may be connected in part to a vendetta against TKO over a compensation dispute involving her planned fight with Gina Carano, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Meltzer reported that one person close to the situation indicated that Rousey’s AEW appearance fit into a broader frustration with TKO stemming from more than a year of negotiations for the Carano fight, which ultimately did not take place under the UFC banner but rather with MVP. When the pay-per-view deal fell through, TKO essentially changed the compensation terms, with those involved believing Rousey had nowhere else to turn. The fight with Carano is now set to take place under Jake Paul’s MVP promotion on Netflix.
On the subject of a potential follow-up between Rousey and Toni Storm, Meltzer indicated nothing concrete is in the works. “Rousey, who is not shy about promoting her projects, to the best of my knowledge, did not push AEW after the angle,” Meltzer wrote. “The angle would lead you to believe there would be a Rousey vs. Storm match, which would get some attention, although we’ve heard nothing at all indicating it is happening.”
The reaction within WWE was notably negative. Meltzer reported that those in WWE were not happy at all about the development, while TKO would also have reason for displeasure given Rousey’s presence on a rival platform. However, Meltzer framed the overall significance of the situation in measured terms, noting that Rousey has said nothing positive about AEW nor anything negative about WWE. “This is more an annoyance than any kind of game changer for wrestling,” Meltzer wrote.
Storm’s status adds further uncertainty to any potential follow-up program. She was pulled from AEW Dynamite the week after Revolution with a legitimate injury and is expected to be sidelined for an extended period, with her return timeline currently unknown.
