How Much Time Will Ronda Rousey Miss Due to Her WWE Suspension?
WWE announced on Monday that Ronda Rousey would be handed a (storyline) suspension and fine for attacking a referee following her SmackDown Women's Championship match with Liv Morgan at SummerSlam this past weekend. It wasn't announced how long the suspension would be at the time, but Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer clarified on Monday night that she won't miss the next pay-per-view, Clash at the Castle, in early September.
"She's booked on the Cardiff show," Meltzer said. "So she's going to be unsuspended at least before [that]. I don't know how long, but it's not going to be a month, to put it that way, because she's got to be back for the PPV show."
Rousey clearly turned heel by attacking the referee, but even the commentary team pointed out she was right to be frustrated. The UFC Hall of Famer had Morgan trapped in an armbar and forced her to tap out, but the referee was too distracted by Rousey's shoulders being pinned on the canvas to notice.
The heel turn is something Rousey seemingly wanted to do for a while. She explained on the Wives of Wrestling Podcast earlier this year that the harsh comments she made about fans during her hiatus was her playing up a heel character and that seemed to be her plan when she returned at the Royal Rumble back in January. But WWE quickly pivoted when fans cheered her, leading to her chasing Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
"I guess the feedback I get is a live audience," Rousey said back in April. "There's a lot of times where what you think is coming online and what the live audience is expressing are two opposite things. Case in point, Royal Rumble, I left as a heel and was getting booed out of every stadium, and I was like, 'okay, so I assumed everyone thought I was still a heel.' And any interviews I gave any time I was talking — on the fans. Like, being in character for in case I come back, and that's what I assumed I would come back to. When it ended up being not that reaction, I was really, really surprised."