WWE is one of the largest and most popular sports entertainment companies in the world. With a plethora of storylines and characters, sometimes things don’t always go as planned. In one instance, it appears that a storyline involving Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville may have been planned, but it didn’t play out as intended.
In an effort to gain representation in the LGBTQ community, WWE had a WrestleMania moment in the works that would really kick things into high gear. However, this moment never came to fruition, although Mandy Rose recalls the pitch vividly.
During a recent conversation on the podcast In The Weeds with Jeremy Lambert and Joel Pearl, Mandy Rose revealed the original plans that WWE had for her to win the Women’s Title. This monumental moment would have also seen her and Sonya Deville kissing in the middle of the ring to celebrate.
Mandy Rose acknowledged the significance of the angle, saying, “If you’re going to do this, I understand why it could be great because it’s a representation and it’s necessary.” However, she also raised concerns about the potential backlash from fans, especially since Asuka, a beloved babyface, was set to lose the championship match.
To their credit, WWE sought guidance from GLAAD, and Stephanie McMahon herself was on the phone to ensure the angle was done tastefully and respectfully. In the end, the storyline didn’t happen because WWE decided to put the belt on Charlotte instead.
Mandy Rose admitted that the best intentions were there, but executing the storyline in the wrong way could have been disastrous. While fans were disappointed that the storyline was dropped, it’s not uncommon for WWE chairman Vince McMahon to change plans at the last minute.
“On TV, the Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville storyline. That was supposed to culminate in a romance between Sonya and Mandy at WrestleMania 35 where it was a triple threat for the SmackDown Women’s Championship and Mandy was going to win because Sonya would lay down for her and they would embrace and kiss in the middle of the ring. I said, ‘Oh boy.’ If you’re going to do this, I understand why it could be great because it’s a representation and it’s necessary.”
“To WWE’s credit, they went to GLAAD. Stephanie McMahon was on the phone with them. ‘Can we do this? Can we make this palatable and sensitive to the situation with queer people in America? Can we make this a good angle?’ The thing that I said was, ‘At WrestleMania, 60,000 people are going to be rooting for Asuka, and they’re supposed to be the babyfaces? They’re going to be booed out of the building and you’re going to have two women kissing in the middle of the ring and people booing because they love Asuka so much.’ People do love Asuka and every time WWE thinks they can beat her and ‘who cares,’ they forget people have a positive, intense relationship with her, even when they try to make her a heel, they root for her. Eventually, that storyline didn’t get done because they decided to put the belt on Charlotte.”
“It could have turned out poorly even though the best intentions were there, and they did want to make a good storyline and Sonya and Mandy were involved and they were excited about doing it. At the end of the day, you have to do it right, and that would have been the wrong way to do it because you’re beating a babyface who people love, at WrestleMania, when there is so much complaint around how Asuka is losing.”
Unfortunately, Mandy Rose was released from WWE in recent memory when her NSFW content behind her paywall became too explicit for the company’s liking. Sonya Deville, on the other hand, is still going strong in WWE and is currently teaming up with Chelsea Green.
