Backstage reaction in WWE to Mandy Rose imitating Nikki Bella finally revealed
Mandy Rose has turned quite a few heads with her near-perfect cosplay of Nikki Bella over the past couple of weeks. The NXT Women's Champion has copied Bella's look at house shows and on TV, and she recently opened up about the backstage reaction to her special in-ring gear during a podcast appearance.
Rose knew that her decision to dress up as Nikki Bella would get people talking in numbers on the internet. The NXT Superstar recalled interacting with her WWE colleagues before the latest episode and how she was initially apprehensive about the obvious comparison with Nikki Bella.
Mandy Rose explained that imitating Bella was her way of paying homage to the former Divas Champion. Other WWE talents also loved Mandy's apparent tribute to Nikki, as revealed on Insight with Chris Van Vliet:
"I had the outfit on; backstage, obviously, we were all saying it. And I was like, 'Okay, do I look way too much like Nikki right now? I'm definitely going to get ripped on the internet. But everyone was like, 'Yeah, who cares? You are like, owing to her legacy, right?' I was like, 'Yeah, why not?' So, yeah, and that's what happened. We knew the internet was going to go there." [11:11 - 11:45]
Mandy Rose giving Nikki Bella vibes tonight. #NXT https://t.co/6lXfVkMb04
As we've noted earlier, Twitter has expectedly begun speculating about a dream match between Nikki Bella and Mandy Rose.
While Bella hasn't stepped inside the ring since Royal Rumble 2022, Mandy Rose believes that a first-time-ever match against the veteran could draw big numbers. Mandy even dropped a massive teaser about the possible clash, as you can view below:
"Right? That's what I said (that she could have a good match with Nikki Bella). I don't know; I'm just saying. She did say she wants one more match. So, I don't know!" [11:46 - 11:55]
I feel like there is a similarity between the both of us: Mandy Rose on Nikki Bella
Rose has done phenomenally well since returning to NXT, as she has elevated her star power with a record-breaking title run with the brand's women's title.
The 32-year-old star said she would love to have a program with Nikki Bella as they seemingly have identical backgrounds. Mandy acknowledged Bella's contributions to the Women's Revolution in WWE and explained how the former Diva had to earn everyone's respect after getting a lot of heat from the fans early on.
Mandy Rose also had her fair share of detractors as she was a fitness and figure competitor before becoming a pro wrestler. The WWE Superstar is clearly inspired by Nikki's rise in the business and wouldn't mind wrestling the Hall of Famer in the near future:
"Her legacy, and also just about everything I've done, we have a little bit of similar backgrounds, in the sense that she has obviously paved the way for us definitely during the Divas time and the Women's Revolution and all that. I feel like there is a similarity between the both of us because she always wanted people to respect her more, and she did gain that respect over the years." [12:00 - 13:00]
Would you like a full-blown feud between Rose and Bella in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use any quotes from the article.