Former WWE Superstar Mandy Rose talks about how her character changed towards the end of her run and how she feels about her final match.
Rose made her first big impact in WWE in 2017 when she was part of Paige’s faction, Absolution. Shortly after her debut Paige got injured and ended her WWE wrestling career. This left WWE without any clear direction for Rose. She jumped from one storyline to the next.
Rose’s most memorable storyline on the main roster was her love affair with Otis. After that storyline ended she was sent down to NXT. Like with many wrestlers, the time in NXT showed the world how talented Rose was.
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While in NXT Rose founded Toxic Attraction along with Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne. She went on to win the NXT Women’s Championship. Her title reign was the third longest of all time. Things clicked for her in NXT and she was given the right opportunity to shine.
On a recent episode of Busted Open Radio, Rose was asked what she thought changed for her towards the end of her WWE run. She recalled a conversation with Vince McMahon.
“There was a meeting with Vince, I remember, I will say,” Rose said. “There was a meeting and he had told me that he loves my character and what I’m doing and all, but just be more me. I remember that was like the one thing. I felt like there was a part of me where I was maybe trying too hard to be that sexy character in a way.” H/T To Wrestling Inc. For Transcription
Note To Self: Don’t Try So Hard To Me Sexy
Rose goes on to discuss how she was trying too hard to be sexy. She mentions her gimmicks like the Golden Goddess made her feel like she needed to be sexy. She felt the need to try and live up to her nickname. In doing so she felt like she didn’t come across as natural.
Rose admits that when she first heard the “be more you” comment from McMahon she was initially confused.
“To me, I was actually really confused about it at first because when I had that conversation with Vince, obviously I needed to take that and listen to him. He’s, you know this, the guy to listen to. So then I think I was like, let me not try so hard. Then I think it was just a combination of things, but I didn’t think I was trying too hard.”
Keep Killing It In NXT Or Go Back To Main Roster
Rose was one of the must see stars of NXT. Many wondered if she would get called back up to the main roster because she seemed ready. However, she was doing so well in NXT that it also seemed dumb to end that run and call her back up.
The decision of what to do with Rose in WWE came to a surprising answer, fire her. She had a content subscription service. On the service she would release content which was adult in nature. It isn’t exactly clear how much WWE knew about the service. It is thought that they knew she had it, but didn’t know what the content was.
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Eventually WWE found out about the content and decided they needed to release her in December 2022. It was very sudden for all parties, but especially for Rose.
Rose talked the day she was released and her feelings surrounding it.
“It was a crazy day, and I just had so many mixed feelings,” Rose said. “I was kind of making jokes about it, to be honest. I think that’s my sense of humor. I get that from my dad, if it’s an uncomfortable situation or there’s just a lot of media and press going on that day, which there was. I just kind of kept making jokes with the girls like, ‘This is it, girls. We’ve had fun.’ They just didn’t believe me and all that, but I just had that feeling.” H/T Wrestling Inc.
Bitter Sweet Final WWE Match
That was her final wrestling match in WWE and final wrestling match period. Since she left WWE she has not wrestled and continued to pursue things outside of wrestling.
Rose’s last match was against Roxanne Perez and dropped the championship to her. She and Perez had grown close during their time in NXT. After the match ended she received a standing ovation and it helped to validate her hard work and time in NXT.
“I think along my journey of the whole putting respect on my name [aspect], I feel like it took me a while. It took the fans a while to kind of get that feeling like I belong here,” Rose said. “That was the moment where I was like, ‘Wow. I put the work in, regardless of the outcome right now, with what’s going on. I think it’s been a hell of a run.'”
What did you think of Rose’s final match? What was the biggest change from the main roster Mandy Rose to NXT Mandy Rose? Would you like to see her come back to WWE? Do you think AEW or TNA would be a good spot for her? If she returns to WWE should she go back to NXT or the main roster? Let us know on social media who she should feud with or team up with besides Toxic Attraction.
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Sources: Wrestling Inc., Busted Open Radio, Wrestling Inc.
