Why Former WWE Star Mandy Rose Thought Move To NXT Could Be Great For Her

In the months following WrestleMania 37, Mandy Rose was officially reassigned to the "WWE NXT" brand — a move that laid out Rose's path to forming Toxic Attraction and eventually becoming "NXT" Women's Champion. While some main roster stars may see this shift to "NXT" as a demotion, Rose embraced this as an opportunity to perform in a new setting and reshape her wrestling character.

"For me, right away, when I got that call [about going to 'NXT'], I looked at it like a light bulb went off. I went, 'Oh, this could be so great for me,'" Rose explained on the "Power Alphas Podcast." "I've been wanting to change my character. I'm getting tired of the hot homewrecker, beauty and the beast stuff, 'God's Greatest Creation,' 'Golden Goddess,' I think there needs to be change. And I think there always needs to be change because we all evolve over time. [I] wasn't very happy with what I was doing at that moment, so in my head, I looked at it as a positive reinforcement of like, this could be something really big and really new and innovative for me."

Rose revealed that she did experience some internal doubt as her transition approached, but overall, she was genuinely looking forward to training more while also getting a "fresh coat of paint" to work with as she revamped her character's presentation. During her return to "NXT," Rose dyed her hair brown, and adopted an edgier, more cunning attitude, which, along with her alliance with Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin, helped boost her to the top of the "NXT" women's division. After capturing the "NXT" Women's Championship at Halloween Havoc 2021, Rose's reign carried on for over 400 days, before she was unseated by Roxanne Perez in December 2022.

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