Ronda Rousey Makes Unexpected ROH Debut

Ronda Rousey makes her ROH TV debut alongside Marina Shafir

By Matthew Aguilar

Tony Khan has been teasing a big signing for AEW: Full Gear this weekend, but it appears that he had another big signing to reveal during last night's Ring of Honor tapings. It was previously reported that former UFC and WWE star Ronda Rousey was backstage for the AEW Collision and AEW Rampage tapings, but she didn't appear during either show. That all changed when the ROH tapings began, as Rousey would hit the ring and officially make her ROH debut. Rousey would join her friend Marina Shafir in a battle against ROH Women's Champion Athena and her minion Billie Starkz (via Drainmaker), and it seems that Rousey could also end up having a big match at Final Battle.

Rousey debuted to her Joan Jett music too, and she would team with Shafir in a rematch of their match at Wrestling Revolver's Unreal event. During that last match, Athena and Starkz would get the last laugh after Athena hit Rousey with the Title, causing a no-contest.

This time things ended differently, as Athena once again tried to hit Rousey with the Championship but that was interrupted. While Athena did hit Rousey with the Eclipse, the pin attempt didn't count, as Athena wasn't the legal competitor. That led to Rousey locking in the armbar on Starkz and getting the tap out, giving Rousey and Shafir the win.

Things don't seem to be wrapping up with this story though, as after the match Rousey taunted Athena with the Championship. This could be setting up for a match at ROH Final Battle, which takes place at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, TX on December 15th. Athena has been a dominant Champion in ROH, and this would certainly be a headline grabber for the pay-per-view if it happens.

After Rousey debuted, Khan hyped up the event on Twitter, writing, "Justified "Holy s***!" chants for @ringofhonor with ROH Women's World Champion @AthenaPalmer_FG + her minion @BillieStarkz vs @MarinaShafir + her handpicked partner!"

So far there's only one match announced for the Final Battle card, which is tied to the ROH World TV Championship. Samoa Joe vacated the Title to shift his focus to the AEW World Championship, which is currently held by MJF. To determine a new ROH World TV Champ, Khan announced the 6-Way Survivor of the Fittest match. A series of eliminator matches will determine the six competitors in the match,, and the match itself will be held at Final Battle to crown a new Champion.

Joe held the ROH World TV Championship for an impressive 574 days. That is the new record for the Title, surpassing Jay Lethal's 567-day reign. Dragon Lee is third on the list with 469 days, and Matt Taven (287 days) and Eddie Edwards (280 days) round out the top 5. Before Final Battle, there is AEW: Full Gear, and you can find the full card for that below.

AEW FULL GEAR CARD

  • AEW World Championship: MJF (C) vs. Jay White
  • AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy (C) vs. Jon Moxley
  • AEW World Tag Team Championships: Ricky Starks and Big Bill (C) vs. La Facción Ingobernable vs. FTR vs. Kings of the Black Throne
  • AEW Women's Championship: Hikaru Shida (C) vs. "Timeless" Toni Storm
  • AEW TBS Championship: Kris Statlander (C) vs. Julia Hart vs. Red Velvet OR Skye Blue
  • Texas Death Match: "Hangman" Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland
  • Sting, Darby Allin and Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage, Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne
  • Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho vs. The Young Bucks
  • Zero Hour – ROH Tag Team Championships: MJF and TBD (C) vs. The Gunns
  • Zero Hour – Buddy Matthews vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Are you excited for Full Gear, and will House of Black leave with Championship Gold? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

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