Tony Khan addressed Ronda Rousey’s appearance at AEW Revolution in Los Angeles days before her MMA comeback, insisting she’s “always welcomed” in AEW and recalling their past work in ROH.
Ronda Rousey turned heads at AEW Revolution in Los Angeles just days before her MMA comeback against Gina Carano, showing up and surprising the crowd in a place that already has familiar ties to her past.
At AEW Double Or Nothing 2026 media call, Tony Khan was asked about what it could mean for Rousey’s future with the Jacksonville-based promotion. He didn’t offer any concrete next steps, but he was clear about how she’s viewed in the company.
“Ronda Rousey is a tremendous fighter, and she is somebody that is always welcomed in AEW,” Khan said. “I enjoyed working with Ronda in ROH, and I loved having her at AEW Revolution, and any time Ronda wants to come back to AEW, she is always welcomed.”
That message carries extra weight because Khan’s relationship with Rousey stretches beyond AEW. ROH (Ring of Honor) is owned by Tony Khan, and Rousey has previously wrestled for the promotion. After leaving WWE in 2023. Rousey teamed up with Marina Shafir to wrestle a few matches on the indies and in ROH.
Khan also explained the familiarity inside the AEW ecosystem. At the Revolution media scrum. he described how close Rousey and Shafir are as friends. and how their ROH history has already included matchups in Los Angeles. “Marina [Shafir] and Ronda [Shafir] are good friends. Ronda’s actually wrestled for me before, but never in AEW. Ronda wrestled in ROH,” Khan said. “We had a great match a few years ago, also in Los Angeles. It was Ronda and Marina teaming up in ROH against Billie Starkz and the World Champion Athena. I thought it was fantastic.”.
He then tied the welcome to both star power and personal working history. “Ronda Rousey is a huge star, so we have a great relationship with her. She’s wrestled for me before in ROH, and she’s always welcomed here in AEW anytime,” he said.
The timing of it all is what set the question in motion. Rousey’s Revolution appearance came days before her MMA comeback against Gina Carano, and while many wondered if the moment would open the door to future AEW stops, nothing concrete was shared about it by either side.
Still, Khan’s stance gives the clearest indication yet of how AEW is framing the door—open whenever she wants to walk back through it.
Tony Khan Ronda Rousey AEW Revolution AEW Double Or Nothing 2026 ROH Marina Shafir Billie Starkz Athena Gina Carano Jacksonville-based promotion
So they’re really letting Ronda just show up whenever? Guess AEW is her house now.
I didn’t even realize she was coming back to MMA like that. Gina Carano vs Ronda sounds insane lol. But Tony saying “always welcomed” is just PR right? Like we’ll see.
Wait, isn’t ROH like… canceled or something? Tony owns it so why does she need AEW at all? Also I thought she already wrestled in AEW before, not just ROH. Maybe I’m mixing her up with someone else but the whole thing feels messy.
This is gonna get weird bc she appears at Revolution then days later fights in MMA. Like is AEW trying to time it for hype or what. And the article keeps saying she and Marina are friends, but Tony wording it like a “door is open” thing… could mean she’s coming back for sure but also could mean nothing. I’m just here like, does she even want to wrestle full time again or is it a one-off situation?