Ronda Rousey walked into the WWE Performance Center back in 2018 with a massive target on her back. It wasn't just the locker room looking at her sideways. The fans were skeptical, too. Could a UFC legend actually pull off the "theatrical" side of the business? We all remember the debut at WrestleMania 34 where she teamed with Kurt Angle. It was arguably one of the best debut matches in the history of the company. She looked like a natural. But fast forward a few years to 2026, and the conversation around WWE Raw Ronda Rousey segments has shifted into something much more complicated.
Honestly, the "Baddest Woman on the Planet" had a run that was a total rollercoaster.
She wasn't just another celebrity guest. She was a full-time contract holder who stayed on the road, took the bumps, and worked the grueling Monday night schedule. You've got to respect the work ethic even if you hated her promos. During that first year on Raw, she was basically untouchable. She tore through the division, snagging the Raw Women’s Championship from Alexa Bliss at SummerSlam 2018 in what was basically a glorified squash match.
But things started to get weird. Fast.
The Raw Women’s Championship Era
Winning the title was the easy part for Ronda. Keeping the fans from turning on her was the real battle.
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By the time we got to the end of 2018, the WWE Universe had found a new hero in Becky Lynch. "The Man" was everything Ronda wasn't—gritty, a veteran of the indies, and a master on the mic. When they were supposed to face off at Survivor Series and Becky got injured, the heat didn't dissipate. It curdled. Ronda started getting booed on Raw, and you could see it getting under her skin. She’s a real competitor. She isn't used to losing the crowd.
Why the Fans Turned
- The "Chosen One" Vibe: Fans felt she was being pushed over more "deserving" workers like Sasha Banks or Bayley.
- Promo Struggles: While her judo was elite, her scripts often felt stiff. She struggled with the "theatre" of it all.
- The Becky Factor: You just don't go against the most popular person in the company and expect to stay a babyface.
Ronda’s first run ended in that historic triple-threat main event at WrestleMania 35. She lost the title to Becky Lynch in a finish that looked... well, a bit messy. A fluke roll-up. Then she vanished. She went off to start a family, which she’d been open about for months. Most people thought that was it. The MMA experiment was over.
The Second Act: 2022 and Beyond
When the "Bad Reputation" theme hit at the 2022 Royal Rumble, the pop was huge. But the honeymoon lasted about ten minutes.
Her second run felt different. It was colder. In interviews later on, specifically with The Lapsed Fan in 2025, Rousey admitted she felt the "creative" was dangling a carrot. She wanted to work with her real-life friend Shayna Baszler. Instead, she was stuck in feuds with Liv Morgan and Charlotte Flair. It felt like she was just going through the motions.
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By 2023, she finally got her wish. She teamed with Baszler, won the tag titles, and eventually put Shayna over at SummerSlam in an "MMA Rules" match. That was her exit. She hasn't been back on WWE Raw Ronda Rousey since, and frankly, she’s been pretty vocal about the "toxic" environment she feels existed under the old regime.
The 2026 Reality
Where is she now? As of early 2026, Ronda is essentially retired from the ring. She’s focused on her family—she's expecting her second child with Travis Browne—and her writing career. Her graphic novel Expecting the Unexpected and her memoirs have kept her in the headlines, but the squared circle seems like a distant memory.
There were rumors in late 2025 about a boxing match with Katie Taylor, but that's a different world entirely. In the wrestling world, the bridge seems burnt, or at least heavily charred. She’s called the fans "ungrateful" and criticized the way matches were scripted.
What Most People Get Wrong
People like to say Ronda "failed" in WWE. That’s just objectively false.
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Look at the numbers. She main-evented WrestleMania. She brought millions of eyes from the MMA world to WWE Raw. She helped elevate the women’s division to a level where they could finally headline the biggest show of the year. Was she perfect? No. Was she a "pro wrestler" in the traditional sense? Probably not. She was a special attraction who tried to be a full-timer.
The real tragedy isn't that she left; it’s that we never got the one-on-one, decisive match with Becky Lynch that the story deserved. Creative missed the window. They waited too long, then the momentum died, and then she was gone.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you’re looking back at the Ronda Rousey era on Raw, don’t just watch the highlights. Watch the crowd. You can see the exact moment the "invader" narrative took over.
- Watch the Raw after WrestleMania 34: This is Ronda at her peak popularity. She was a hero.
- Compare to Survivor Series 2018: Watch the fans' reaction when Charlotte Flair beats her with a kendo stick. They cheered. That's the turning point.
- Study the Shayna Baszler Feud: This was Ronda’s "retirement" gift to the business. She insisted on putting her friend over on the way out.
The legacy of WWE Raw Ronda Rousey is a mix of legitimate athleticism and a clash of cultures. She didn't want to play the game; she wanted to fight. In a world where everything is "work," her "shoot" personality was both her greatest strength and her ultimate downfall. She remains one of the most polarizing figures to ever step through the ropes.
If you want to understand the modern women's division, you have to understand Ronda. She was the bridge between the "Divas" era and the "Main Event" era, even if she didn't stick around to see the finish line.