Ronda Rousey Requested Recent WWE Return

Ronda Rousey is still SmackDown Women’s Champion. The Rowdy One retained her title against Shotzi at WWE Survivor Series, extending her reign that only began last month at WWE Extreme Rules. While the title match was contested between Rousey and Shotzi on screen, the two women had behind-the-scenes assistance from a returning WWE star. Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Brian Kendrick worked alongside Jason Jordan as a producer for the SmackDown Women’s Title match at WWE Survivor Series, marking his first work within the company in nearly a year.

Speaking on the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that Kendrick’s WWE return was personally requested by Rousey, as he was one of her original trainers. It was also added that Kendrick was only brought in for WWE Survivor Series and has not been rehired by WWE.

Kendrick first joined WWE in 2002, where he had a brief run that included a program with a young John Cena. He found his most prominent success in his second WWE stint, which began in 2005. There, he tagged with Paul London and captured both the WWE and World Tag Team Titles. The duo’s WWE Tag Title reign lasted for 331 days, which stood as the record reign for nearly a decade, until the New Day eclipsed it in 2016.

His third WWE run began in 2014, where he worked as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. Kendrick is credited for training the likes of Eva Marie and Sonya Deville. His last WWE in-ring run began in 2016 at the WWE Cruiserweight Classic, which saw Kendrick reach the quarterfinals. He eventually would win the WWE Cruiserweight Title at WWE Hell in a Cell 2016, holding it until the premiere episode of 205 Live. Kendrick resumed his backstage duties in 2020, working as a producer, which lasted until early 2022.

Kendrick was scheduled to wrestle Jon Moxley on the February 2nd edition of AEW Dynamite, but that one-off contest was cancelled after controversial comments of Kendrick’s resurfaced.

“I apologize for all the hurt and embarassment I have caused with my words. These are not my beliefs and never were beliefs of mine, and I crossed the line,” Kendrick wrote earlier this year. “I spread the most vile comments without thinking of the damage it would cause. I will live with this regret for the rest of my life. I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused.”

Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on Brian Kendrick’s WWE status.