Jeremy Lambert Jan 10, 2023 12:32PM
Mandy Rose addresses her WWE release.
Mandy Rose was released by WWE on December 14, one day after losing the NXT Women's Championship to Roxanne Perez. Rose was reportedly released due to the content she had been posting on her FanTime website.
Appearing on the Tamron Hall Show, Rose opened up about her WWE release.
When Rose was asked if she lost the NXT Women's Championship due to the material posted on FanTime, she said, "I was never told that" and that there is "some confidentiality" when it comes to her release.
When asked if she received any warnings about the material posted and if she was asked to take it down, Rose replied, "Unfortunately, there is a confidentiality and I can't really discuss that. There was the one warning to take it down, and I complied."
Rose stated she didn't post any nude photos on the site, saying, "There was no full nudity. I would never post anything that would harm my brand."
Earlier in the interview, she said the photos posted, which were said by Tamron to be "sexy, racy, and provocative," where part of her showing fans the behind the scenes of her life.
"Everything that I do, in the privacy of my own home, showing my fans behind the scenes action, whether it's photo shoots, my every day personal life, nothing is wrong with that. That's what I was doing. You can't believe everything you see on the internet, not everything is accurate. When I show photos me, sexy, like how I've been showing on my Instagram, which everyone can see, there is nothing wrong with that," she said.
When asked if WWE were being hypocrites given how they marketed Toxic Attraction or if there was a double standard, citing Madusa's recent comments, for Rose and other women, Rose replied, "I don't have any control on how they run their business and what they think is right or wrong, that's their opinion."
Asked if she was being targeted by WWE, who previously promoted sexy photos Rose had posted on social media, Rose said, "I don't really know, I don't think I was targeted, I think it was just more, everyone has their own opinion. I don't see anything wrong with that photo [Rose wearing the NXT Women's and NXT UK Women's Titles and nothing else], as they didn't either. Everyone has their own opinion on what they think is appropriate and what's not."
Rose was then asked if she thought she was wronged by WWE.
She replied, "Because of everything that has happened since then, everything happens for a reason, and I can't even say I was wronged because I'm so forever grateful for everything that the WWE has presented me with. I can't say I was wronged or not. I'm hurt. I'm very hurt. No one wants to get that call that you're being fired from any job. I was very hurt and very disappointed. I was disappointed more because of everything I put into the business, but just the last year and a half; I was champion for 413 days, I unified the two titles, I was the third longest-reigning NXT Women's Champion. I also created this must-see faction with two other women that I brought up. I got to see so many women develop their characters and they are younger than me and at the beginning of their careers. To me, that was so important because it was so rewarding for me. Losing the title was obviously a gut punch. I was so disappointed. At the end of the day, my purpose was gone. That's where I felt lost and confused because of all the hard work. Driving home from that, a lot of things were going through my mind. You always think there are unanswered questions. At the end of the day, I love what I've done in WWE and I love the platform they presented me with. I am forever grateful for them."
Asked if she would return to WWE, Rose replied, "Never say never" but admitted that "it would have to be a conversation" if they asked her to end her FanTime site as a condition for her to return.
Tamron noted that they did reach out to WWE for comment, but WWE had yet to respond.
Rose was congratulated by FanTime for making $1 million in December 2022. Before she faced Perez on the December 13 episode of NXT, she was scheduled to defend her title against Perez at NXT New Year's Evil on January 10.
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