On NXT this week, Mandy Rose appeared during the match between Gigi Dolin and Sarray. For some reason, WWE moved Rose from RAW to NXT with no real explanation. The move was confirmed by PWInsider, and WrestleVotes revealed that she had been traded for Aliyah.
It caught the WWE Universe off guard, as there was no indication this was taking place. However, now that it's official, what can we expect to see from the Golden Goddess?
Today we'll be taking a look at five possible directions for Mandy Rose in NXT. There are quite a few ways the black and gold brand can use Rose right now that would boost the women's division. We'll start with a pretty obvious one, but one that we'd really love to see regarding Rose's in-ring skills.
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#5 Mandy Rose is in NXT to prove herself as a singles star
Mandy Rose and her former best friend Sonya Deville have been an incredibly entertaining duo in recent years on the main roster. In 2020, the two split up and led to one of the most personal feuds we'd seen in recent memory.
Rose and Deville wound up putting on a pretty exciting No DQ match at SummerSlam last year. At that point, with Sonya Deville disappearing from TV, it seemed that Rose was on her way to the top of the division.
Unfortunately, for some reason, that didn't happen. Mandy Rose was moved to Monday Night RAW thanks to the Miz trying to ruin her on-screen relationship with Otis. From then on, she became a nonfactor on the red brand.
Most recently she was involved in a tag team with Dana Brooke. The two were in a feud with WWE Tag Champions Natalya and Tamina. However, that feud ended abruptly with her move to NXT.
While it's unfortunate we didn't get to see the finish of that story, this move is a silver lining. Mandy Rose is back on track to become the star she was supposed to be after SummerSlam.
In NXT she can prove herself as a major threat in the ring. She also possesses a charisma that few in the women's division can match up with at the moment.
NXT may be the best place for Mandy Rose to be, and we'll hopefully see a lot of growth from her in the coming year.
#4 Mandy Rose mentors Gigi Dolin
We saw Mandy Rose come out for Gigi Dolin's match with Sarray. Dolin lost the match after a few brutal dropkicks on the ropes and an exploder suplex from Sarray, at which point Rose left the area.
It seemed that Mandy Rose was scouting the talent, but for what reason? Is she just here to plant her flag on the black and gold brand? Or is there something else in mind?
There's a ton of new talent in NXT right now, especially in the women's division. Alongside Sarray and Gigi, we've got Franky Monet, Zoey Stark, Zayda Ramier, Cora Jade, and Elektra Lopez. While Sarray, Monet, and Stark seem to already have their paths lined up, the others are without direction.
What if Rose is in NXT to form her own group or at least mentor one of the up-and-comers? Kind of like what happened with her and Sonya Deville, who were brought to the main roster with Paige for Absolution. It would give Rose a chance to pay that forward while giving Gigi Dolin her own sense of direction on the brand.
#3 Mandy Rose convinces Dakota Kai to turn on Raquel González
We're clearly on the road to Dakota Kai turning on Raquel González sooner rather than later. The NXT Women's Champion has been a force to be reckoned with and has vowed to take on all challengers. However, some could claim she's been ducking Dakota Kai, and the Captain of Team Kick's face said it all on Tuesday night.
Fans have been expecting it for some time, but WWE has done a great job of delaying this story as long as possible. So what should be the catalyst to push Dakota Kai overboard? Or should I say who?
Mandy Rose has been on the wrong end of betrayal before. She can see it coming from a mile away. Maybe she notices Dakota Kai's frustrations and pushes her along in the right direction.
Rose knows all to well what jealousy can do to a friendship, but it would be an interesting change of pace to see her at the opposite end of the story this time around.
#2 Mandy Rose becomes a new authority figure in NXT
Moving Mandy Rose to NXT was definitely a shocking decision. However, it could be leading to something even more surprising. Samoa Joe was attacked by Karrion Kross on NXT this week, leading fans to believe the Samoan Submission Machine is cleared and ready for war.
If that's the case, and Joe might be moving away from the authority role he has with NXT GM William Regal, it leaves somewhat of an opening. I'm not saying Rose will be the enforcer that Joe has been in recent weeks. That being said, she could work with Regal the way her former best friend Sonya Deville does with Adam Pearce.
That's...actually an interesting parallel that could even lead to something special at an event like Survivor Series where Rose wants to prove something against Deville with their rosters.
#1 Mandy Rose joins the Robert Stone Brand
The easiest way to handle Mandy Rose's transition to NXT would be to place her in the slot that Aliyah left this past week. Aliyah walked away from Robert Stone after attacking him, claiming that she'd done more for him than he'd ever done for her.
On that same show, we saw Mandy Rose run into a new version of the Robert Stone Brand that, apparently, had Franky Monet in charge. With Monet and Jessie Kamea looking to revamp the stable, adding an established star like Mandy Rose would do wonders for them.
Mandy Rose and Franky Monet shared a glance that seemed to imply they were interested in working together, and they would work incredibly well off of each other. Their characters revolve around their looks. They're both blonde bombshells, and they're both incredibly dangerous.
Seriously, if you haven't seen much of Franky Monet's work outside of NXT you're in for a treat. And if you're downplaying Mandy Rose's in-ring ability, you're just fooling yourself. Add in Jessie Kamea...and probably eliminate Robert Stone, and you've got a deadly trio right there.