Can Mandy Rose excel as a main event draw for SmackDown or Raw?

The October 1 edition of WWE NXT saw a highly promoted segment around the celebration of Mandy Rose holding the WWE NXT Women’s Championship for one year. Few will argue that her return to NXT has been a major boost to her career. It came at a time when she could have been lost in the shuffle as a part of the main roster women’s division. Now, as many believe her time in NXT is winding down the question has come up. Can Mandy Rose succeed as a main event-level champion on either SmackDown or Monday Night Raw?

Rose’s run as champion has seen her pick-up wins over some impressive names. She has victories over Raquel Rodriguez, Dakota Kai, Roxanne Perez, Alba Fyre, and many others. Some fans may roll their eyes at how strongly she’s been booked with Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne by her side, but she’s one of the few consistent performers across WWE that has seen such treatment. It has been nearly a year since she suffered her last pinfall defeat at the hands of Cora Jade on the November 23, 2021, edition of NXT – the lone pinfall loss she’s suffered since returning to the brand.

Would this type of booking work on the main roster, and be believable against the big names found on both SmackDown and Raw? It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Rose goes one-on-one against the likes of Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Asuka, Ronda Rousey, or any of the other ladies that have carved out a place at the top of those groups. Rose’s return to NXT gave her the space to grow as a performer in the ring and build some of her skills in the other areas that matter as a sports entertainer.

One major change WWE would have to make is her continued booking around the idea of beauty. That is a tired troupe for women’s booking that doesn’t get featured as much on the main roster any longer and wouldn’t encourage fans to show interest in her. That’s not a story that would work against any of the current women’s champions of either brand.

Rose does have one key factor that could help in her transition and presentation as a main-event threat: Toxic Attraction. Dolin and Jayne have both participated in matches on SmackDown and had a solid fan reactions both times. Jayne performed especially well and Dolin has extensive experience in the game. Leaning on them to present Rose as a threat due to the numbers game could help if they are given the same level of booking as they enjoy in NXT. WWE has taken an interest in building trios for both the men and the women, plus the main roster women’s division needs a new tag team like yesterday.

Mandy Rose has developed into a better professional wrestler during her second stint in WWE NXT. Now, the focus should turn toward a run on the main roster where the real test awaits to see if she can become a main event name where the lights shine the brightest and the hottest.