Ronda Rousey
Feb 22, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Ronda Rousey following her victory in the bantamweight championship match against Sara McMann of UFC 170 at Mandalay Bay Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

It might not be long before WWE fans get to see Ronda Rousey perform in the pro wrestling ring very soon as she has been rumored to be making an appearance at the Royal Rumble on Saturday, January 29.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful first reported the rumor that personnel within the company is pushing hard to convince her to come back and return to her status as a top draw.

Ringside News put out transcriptions of the report from Fightful, stating that Rousey’s return has been discussed so much that it is already regarded as a "poorly kept secret" as talent outside of WWE has reportedly heard of the rumor as well.

Rousey last made her appearance for the top-tier pro wrestling promotion at WrestleMania 35 where she and Charlotte Flair dropped the Raw and SmackDown women’s titles to Becky Lynch in a winner-takes-all match, which kickstarted the Irish’s reign as “Becky Two Belts”.

The surprise pinfall gave Rousey her first loss in pro wrestling and her reaction to the finish suggested that it was not supposed to go down that way, while it was reported after the match that she had sustained a broken knuckle during the event.

Rousey disclosed to Digital Spy in December of 2020 that her lingering back issues had been bothering her because of WWE’s travel-heavy schedule.

Making a return this weekend would have allowed Rousey to get a massive pop from fans, regardless of whether they like her or not, since she was able to transition really well from being a mixed martial arts fighter into becoming a top draw in pro wrestling.

There is a possibility that WWE can work out a deal with Rousey similar to Brock Lesnar in past years where she is on a part-timer’s schedule that performs on certain dates and makes appearances when it directly relates to her storylines.

But at the same time, Rousey has done more than enough in her pro wrestling career to consider not returning anymore as she has found a life outside of the ring.

Current Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Mickie is already confirmed to be an entrant in the women’s Royal Rumble match, while other standouts like Paige and Melina have also been rumored to make an appearance as well.

With the Royal Rumble only being a few days away, murmurs about Rousey’s return to WWE are only going to intensify and fans can only expect so much when the event does go live.