Ronda Rousey hasn’t appeared in WWE since WrestleMania 35 in April 2019, but she continues to be linked to a potential blockbuster return to the company.

Just over the past couple of weeks, “The Baddest Woman on the Planet” has hinted at a possible return to the squared circle on at least a few occasions, creating quite the buzz in pro wrestling circles about what her future in WWE might hold.

A couple of weeks ago, Teal Piper, daughter of WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (a huge inspiration to Rousey herself), posted a picture on Instagram indicating that Rousey was doing some in-ring training alongside former WWE star JTG of Cryme Time, which naturally led to speculation that there is more than meets the eye to the post.

Rousey hasn’t done much to quiet the speculation about her potential comeback, either. She recently revealed on Twitter that she was “looking forward to a rematch” with current WWE star Natalya, who has a strong relationship with Rousey and helped train her when she was first making her transition from UFC to WWE.

Not to be outdone, Rousey has continued to tease that she will reignite her historic feud with Becky Lynch, whom she faced along with Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 35 in the first-ever women’s WrestleMania main event. During a recent Facebook Live stream (h/t Cageside Seats), Rousey called out WWE and Lynch for giving her the same rating as Lynch in the new WWE 2K Battlegrounds video game.

Rousey’s latest actions on social media have been seen as trolling—or at least teasing—by some, but Rousey hasn’t completely closed the door on a potential return to WWE.

Here’s what Rousey said on Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast (h/t Cageside Seats) back in April about a possible WWE return: “If I ever do come back, it will never be at a full-time capacity ever again. I think like for stints, for chunks of time. No, I’ll never be full time again over 200 days a year on the road like that ever again.”

While the expected permanent reduction in the number of WWE live events would likely prevent her from returning on such a grueling full-time schedule anyway, one thing that won’t stop Rousey from wrestling again is her contract situation.

Rousey is reportedly under contract until April 2021, which would allow her to wrestle at WrestleMania 37 in SoFi Stadium next year in a potential main event caliber match and which might also explain why she continues to tease a possible return to the ring.

When WWE was hosting its shows inside the audience-less Performance Center, there was rampant speculation that the company’s biggest attractions would not be utilized in that environment with no fans and no live gate revenue.

WWE’s temporary move to the ThunderDome has paved the way for major names like Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman to return to WWE programming, but even with the uncertainty regarding WWE’s return to the road and whether or not WrestleMania 37 will take place in Los Angeles as it is currently scheduled, WWE is clearly attempting to improve its roster and its product by bringing back top stars such as Reigns.

The next logical step is for WWE to also bring back the likes of Brock Lesnar and Rousey, moves that don’t make a ton of sense given the current circumstances resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic but certainly would as WWE gets closer toward running traditional live events again, even if fan attendance is limited.

As WWE viewership for Raw in particular has also continued to disappoint, the reality is that WWE will likely reach deep down into its bag of tricks in an attempt to improve its TV ratings, which it almost always tends to do when times get tough.

Given that top female stars like Lynch and Flair are currently sidelined indefinitely while high-profile male stars like Lesnar and John Cena are as well, there is an increasing need in WWE for huge stars like Rousey, who can draw in new fans and help lapsed ones come back.

While there is no definitive word as to whether or not Rousey will return to the storyline mix in the near future, her continued teases—as well as her contract situation—suggest a much needed WWE comeback may not be far away.