October 26, 2021.
NXT Halloween Havoc.
Mandy Rose defeated Raquel Rodriquez (then known as Raquel Gonzalez) to win the NXT Women’s Championship, her first championship in WWE. Many folks expected her to be a transitional champion and her reign would be very short. Today is September 4, 2022 and she’s STILL in her first reign as NXT Women’s Champion and by the end of the day today, she just might be the Unified and Undisputed NXT Women’s Champion by unifying her title with the NXT UK Women’s Championship, currently held by Meiko Satomura. Mandy, Meiko, and Blair Davenport will compete in a Triple Threat Title Unification Match for the NXT Women’s and NXT UK Women’s Championships later on today at NXT Worlds Collide.
NXT Halloween Havoc 2021…the beginning of greatness
Photo credit: WWE.com
Many look at Mandy and for some reason can’t fantom how a woman with her looks can be one of the most dominating champions in NXT and WWE history, but that’s exactly what she has done. Her reign is the 3rd longest in the history of the title, with only Asuka and Shayna Baszler having longer reigns. The list of people she has beaten is a who’s who of some of the best talent the NXT brand has ever had: Raquel, Dakota Kai, IYO SKY (Io Shiari), Alba Fyre (Kay Lee Ray), Cora Jade, Wendy Choo, Roxanne Perez, and Zoey Stark. Should she beat two of NXT UK’s greatest stars in Meiko and Blair later on today, there is no reason why Mandy should NOT be called the greatest NXT Women’s Champion of all time.
Like every good champion, she uses her environment and smarts for any advantage she can find, which of course includes her Toxic Attraction buddies Gigi Dolan and Jacy Jayne. But she has not been shy to show off her strength as well, especially in her latest battles, utilizing her built physique and surprising strength to her advantage. Well, her strength is surprising to those that don’t follow her on social media, because those that DO follow her (and based off her numbers, who doesn’t) knows that she takes very good care of herself and puts in serious work in the gym. You don’t look like a action figure without putting in the work. But it goes beyond what she goes in the gym for Mandy. It’s how she has presented herself and has elevated the people around her. The NXT Women’s division is the most competitive (and honestly the most muscular) it’s been in quite some time, and Mandy is a big reason for that. While we absolutely personally LOVED her tag team on the main roster with Dana Brooke (another woman which we’ll be talking about soon…stay tuned), no way would have that gotten her the attention or success as a performer that she has right now. Mandy is on the run of her career and has put her in prime position to be a major player on either RAW or Smackdown when she is eventually called up back to the main roster.
Whoever made the call to send Mandy to NXT deserves all the flowers in the world, as Mandy has taken the title and brand to new heights, making the NXT Women’s Championship one of the most sought-after titles in the WWE Women’s division and Mandy one of its most dominant champions. Whether folks want to admit it or not, it’s way past time to PUT SOME RESPECT ON HER NAME. And if you haven’t by now…you might have no other choice once Worlds Collide reached its conclusion.
Body of a champion!
Photo credit: Mandy’s Instagram
For more on The Attraction of NXT, follow Mandy on Facebook (WWE-ran), Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. NXT Worlds Collide takes place today at 4PM Eastern time, with the kickoff at 3:30PM Eastern time, streaming on Peacock in the USA and other countries and on the WWE Network everywhere else. Go to https://www.peacocktv.com/wwe for more info.
