Mandy Rose says WWE spent years making money off her looks — and once she was gone, she decided there was no reason she shouldn’t be the one cashing in.
The former NXT Women’s Champion opened up during an appearance on TMZ’s Inside the Ring while talking about wrestlers jumping into subscription-based content after leaving companies like WWE. Rose said a lot of people think the business is easy money, but she quickly found out there is much more to it than posting a few photos and collecting checks.
“I think I would say people—I think people underestimate how much work is involved in creating content and also building and monetizing a personal brand. And I think they look at this like, ‘Oh, that’s so easy. You post pictures, you make money off them,’ whatever, etc. There’s so much more involved in that space. And listen, it’s not for everyone.”
Then Rose got straight to the point. She said subscription content fit her perfectly because WWE had already spent most of her career presenting her as a sex symbol — and making money off that image.
“You know, I personally think it was totally up my alley. I mean, I was basically a sex symbol in WWE for most of my career and they monetized off of it, right? Why not? And, uh, you know, why not try to, um, for myself to monetize off of it after WWE?”
In other words, Mandy didn’t suddenly create some totally different version of herself after WWE. The company had already sold that image for years. The big difference now is that she controls it. Rose also warned that people looking at her success from the outside might think they can jump in and immediately make the same kind of money. She said that is where a lot of people screw up.
“It’s not for everyone, but, um, I think people underestimate how much work goes involved and they think it’s so easy and they just like get a random manager or they get their, you know, friend’s brother to like run their social media or subscription based platform or whatever it may be and they don’t realize that there’s so much more involved.”
Rose said making it work means actually treating it like a business, which includes spending money, producing strong content and keeping subscribers engaged. She added that some people give up once they realize there isn’t a giant pile of cash waiting for them on day one.
“And you have to put the work in and put the money and time into creating good content or creating, um, uh, you know, a—a good relationship with your fans on these platforms.”
“So, I think that’s the biggest mistake people people come into and, and you know, and then they—and then they give up easily, right? Easily, right? They’re like, ‘Oh, whatever. This is—I’m just going to try to go back to what I was doing.’ And it’s like, ‘No, you can evolve. There’s so much more. There’s so much opportunity nowadays, right, with social media and everything involved.’”
Mandy Rose isn’t running away from the image WWE built around her — she’s just making sure the money lands in her pocket now. WWE once controlled the machine, but Mandy is calling the shots these days, and she clearly has no problem admitting sex appeal is part of the business.
What do you think about Mandy Rose saying WWE monetized her as a sex symbol before she started doing it herself? Do you think she simply took control of an image WWE had already created? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
