Following her actions at SummerSlam, Ronda Rousey has been fined and suspended by WWE. The annual event took place on July 30 in Nashville, Tennessee, where Rousey was scheduled to take on the SmackDown Women's Champion Liv Morgan. After a controversial finish to the match, Rousey's frustration got the best of her, and she has been reprimanded by the company.
This year's SummerSlam was WWE's first pay-per-view event following the retirement of Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. McMahon's retirement came after an investigation was launched into hush-money settlements that were allegedly paid to women in the company for misconduct. McMahon and former Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis were the subjects of the allegations. Laurinaitis has been removed from his position while McMahon first stepped down as CEO and Chairman before formally announcing his retirement.
Rousey has been reprimanded following her SummerSlam match with Morgan. The match ended in controversial fashion after referee Dan Engler began counting Morgan's pinfall on Rousey while Rousey had Morgan locked in the Armbar. While Engler counted to three with Rousey's shoulders pinned to the mat, he failed to notice that Morgan tapped out to Rousey's Armbar. Footage of the match's ending showed Morgan tapping out before Engler finished the three count, which would have made Rousey the new SmackDown Women's Champion. Frustrated with Engler failing to notice Morgan's tap-out, Rousey attacked both Morgan and Engler following the match. Rousey's attack on Engler is what has resulted in her fine and suspension.
WWE announced that Rousey has been "fined an undisclosed amount" and that due to her suspension, will miss this week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown. Morgan, who entered and left SummerSlam with her SmackDown Women's Championship, is expected to make an appearance on Friday. Morgan won her first and only WWE championship at Money in the Bank in early July. She won the opening ladder match by obtaining the briefcase that contained a future championship match of her choosing. Morgan cashed in that contract the same night, defeating Rousey who had been injured in her successful title defense against Natalya. Rousey implemented her rematch against Morgan for the SmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam and nearly recaptured the gold.
Without winning the SmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam, Rousey still has an extensive list of accomplishments. She is a former SmackDown Women's Champion, Raw Women's Champion, and Royal Rumble winner. Prior to her WWE career, Rousey earned a number of accolades for judo and mixed martial arts, including her historic induction to the UFC Hall of Fame.
Since signing with WWE, Rousey has made sporadic appearances for the company. After winning this year's Royal Rumble, Rousey went on to defeat Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania Backlash to capture the SmackDown Women's Championship for the first time. Flair has been absent from WWE programming since then, though she is expected to return to television soon. Rousey may currently be suspended, but she still has her sights set on Morgan and the SmackDown Women's Championship. When and where she will appear next is anyone's guess, but WWE hasn't seen the last of Rousey.
Source: WWE