"He gained a lot more respect for me" – Mandy Rose reveals details of backstage meeting with Vince McMahon
Mandy Rose achieved her most success yet in WWE upon her return to NXT.
In the new NXT 2.0 era, Mandy Rose is the leader of the Toxic Attraction and won the NXT Women's title from Raquel Gonzalez at Halloween Havoc.
It's been a long journey for Rose, who was one of the few superstars to move back to NXT. Although it was abrupt, it turned out to be a good move
As for her main roster run, the highlight was undoubtedly her 2020 romantic storyline with Otis on SmackDown, also involving Dolph Ziggler and Sonya Deville.
Speaking on the Fightful podcast (H/T Wrestlingnews. co), Mandy Rose revealed how she earned Vince McMahon's respect by pitching the entire storyline with Otis from the start to end:
"There were a few interactions I had with Vince for sure. There was one right at the beginning when I first got to RAW. Then the one with the Otis storyline, I actually went in there and pitched that whole thing. I think that’s when, coming from the reaction I got from Vince, is when I think that’s when he finally was like, ‘Wow, that’s an amazing idea.'"
"I think he really gained a lot more respect for me because he loved the idea, but he also thought it was really cool that I took the initiative to come in because he likes that. That was a really cool moment I had with him.”
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Rose wasn't one of the most pushed stars in the WWE Women's division, but the storyline with Otis is highly remembered by fans.
While the culmination of the storyline resulted in an Otis-Dolph Ziggler match at WrestleMania 36, it had to happen in the WWE Performance Center with no live audience.
Mandy Rose's resurgence in NXT
This is #ToxicAttraction's show now and @WWE_MandyRose is going to usher in the new era 🥀
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Mandy Rose has been enjoying a successful WWE run upon her return to NXT. In the same podcast episode, Mandy revealed that the decision to join NXT was abrupt and lacked explanation, which she described as a "usual" occurrence.
Rose said it worked out well for her since she lives in Florida and there aren't many commutes required. In addition, Rose feels her current NXT run has allowed her to help elevate other women in the division and reinvent herself.
She said that the process of uncovering new layers to her character has been enjoyable, and NXT has given her the time and space to show what she always knew was within her.