Fire & Desire: 5 moments that led to the rise and fall of the team
The love story between Otis and Mandy Rose has been one of WWE's best storylines in 2020. Starting with just a few short interactions between the pair, the angle has progressed over time to involve several other Superstars. However, it also signalled the end of Fire & Desire.
Undoubtedly, the storyline has raised the stock of all who have played a part in it. Aside from the story's key players, Otis' Heavy Machinery partner Tucker, Dolph Ziggler and Sonya Deville have each had vital roles in helping the plot progress.
The romantic tale, though, has not meant a happy ending for Rose and Deville's tag team partnership. The duo, known collectively as Fire & Desire, have experienced a bitter split in recent weeks - after a jealous Deville turned heel, having attempted to sabotage Rose's new relationship.
Fire & Desire may never have held the WWE Women's tag team championships during their run as a pairing, but they still had several noteworthy moments as a team.
With Rose and Deville set to meet one-on-one on this week's edition of SmackDown, we take a look back at five moments that defined the run of Fire & Desire.
#5 Becoming best friends after meeting on Tough Enough
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville met for the first time while participating in WWE's Tough Enough reality show in 2015 which sow the seeds for the formation of Fire & Desire. Rose (competing under her real name of Amanda Saccomanno) made it to the final of the competition, finishing second to eventual winner, Sara Lee.
Deville (Daria Berenato) fared less well, suffering elimination in week 3 of the show, and finishing 11th overall. Despite neither winning the competition, both women were offered WWE developmental contracts after filming concluded.
While speaking to Sports Illustrated in 2019, Rose talked about the close friendship the pair struck up during their time on the show.
“Our bond was created the day we met on Tough Enough, and it’s even stronger now...We’re best friends, we’re inseparable. We lived together when we were in NXT, and then we were called up together. It’s been an amazing journey, and it’s been so nice that we’ve been able to do it together. It’s a true friendship.”
If it were not for both applying to be a part of the reality contest, then there may never have been a Fire & Desire.
Rose also remains the highest-placed finisher in that year's competition that is currently under a WWE contract. It is fair to say that not winning Tough Enough did Rose and Deville little harm in the end and the WWE Universe got Fire & Desire.