Mandy Rose Reflects On Her Romance With Otis

Just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, an unusual on-screen romance blossomed in WWE between Mandy Rose and Otis. Although Dolph Ziggler and Sonya Deville posed a threat to their developing relationship, their mutual affection reached a critical moment on the second night of WrestleMania 36, when Rose assisted Otis in his victory over Ziggler. After that bout, Rose and Otis shared a kiss. Following the feel-good moment, Rose continued to feud with her former Fire and Desire partner Deville, while her romance story with Otis slowed down and came to its conclusion. In an interview on "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," Rose reflected on her unusual pairing with Otis, describing the storyline as "fun" and "loving."

"I had a lot of fun working with him," Rose said. "He's obviously a character in and out of the ring. It was really cool to be able to have that kind of storyline where it was like, you know, we barely wrestled ... when they talk about sports entertainment, like, that was pure entertainment, I feel like. But it was fun. I had a lot of fun."

Rose further disclosed that she loved how many people contributed to the storyline, including Deville and Otis himself. Rose reluctantly agreed that her and Otis' romance story didn't get the best ending, but she understood that the world of WWE is unpredictable. As if to illustrate the point, Rose later returned to "NXT" in July 2021, forming the Toxic Attraction stable with Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin and becoming the "NXT" Women's Champion; she has held the gold for over 390 days as of this writing.

If you use any quotes in this article, please credit "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.