Seth Rollins discussed the departure of Ronda Rousey from WWE during an appearance on Club Shay Shay. The former UFC champion had two runs with the company, the first beginning in early 2018 and the second starting at the 2022 Royal Rumble. Rollins noted that he was not surprised Rousey chose to leave the industry, as the transition from a curated schedule to the daily grind of professional wrestling is difficult for those not accustomed to it.
“No, not at all. It’s hard. It’s really hard. What they were asking Ronda to do is very difficult. The schedule was crazy still at that time. This is pre-COVID, she comes in… and at first, it’s very easy. I don’t mean this in a negative way, but everything’s curated for her, so everything’s choreographed, and she has one match every six months or something like that. It gets well-rehearsed and that’s fun. You get to do wrestling that way, and that can be really fun, and that can be addicting for people, but that’s not really what wrestling is. Wrestling is a bit of a grind,” Rollins said.
Rollins explained that learning the craft of professional wrestling often requires working several times a week, a pace Rousey was asked to adapt to during her second run. He noted that unlike his own journey, where he worked 250 matches a year before reaching a lighter schedule, Rousey had to work “backwards” from a part-time role into more frequent appearances.
“It’s not Ronda’s fault. You’re coming in and that’s how you’re presented, and then you have to work backwards… when you go the other way, that is a really hard thing to do. And she had other aspirations, you know, she wanted to be a mom, and it’s really hard to be a mom and do our gig, especially when you want to have multiple kids. And she traveled with her oldest daughter a lot… and if you’re not having fun and you don’t love it, it does not surprise me that she was like, I need to get away from this,” Rollins added.
Rousey has been vocal about being upset with her second run, citing creative chaos under the previous administration and the lack of fulfillment in certain storylines. While WWE reportedly maintains interest in working with her, Rousey has stated she is “done” with the company. Rollins, meanwhile, is currently focused on his own recovery from a torn rotator cuff suffered at Crown Jewel in October 2025, with hopes of returning for WrestleMania 42.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Club Shay Shay with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform or watch it on the Club Shay Shay YouTube channel.
