Mandy Rose opens up about her post-WWE journey.
WWE released Mandy Rose in December 2022, reportedly due to explicit content on her FanTime page. She has remained mostly absent from wrestling ever since, aside from appearing at conventions and signings. Rose also participated in the BLP Wrestler's Combine in September 2024.
Speaking on her Power Alphas Podcast, Mandy Rose said she wanted to explain what being a WWE superstar is really like and the sacrifices that it takes.
“I think people think WWE money in general is crazy, right. I’ve talked to a lot of people in the past like, ‘You’ve gotta be doing really well at WWE,’ questioning maybe what I do now or whatever it may be. Yeah, I was doing well, and I thought I was making great money, and obviously, it’s not so much about all the money, it’s really the platform that I always talk about, the loyalty of the fans and the amazing platform that I was able to receive and basically use now until the end of time. But when you actually break it down, as independent contractors, you’re paying for your own hotels, you’re paying for your own cars, paying for your own gas, paying for your own food, you’re paying for your own clothes that you need to be wearing, and not only that, we have to look a certain part, most of us, spend a lot of money on ring gear, all those things. There’s a lot of things that go into play when you are a WWE superstar, and how much money you have to put out there, and as a 1099, don’t get really any benefits for the long run. After it’s all said and done and Uncle Sam comes and it’s time to pay for your taxes…," Rose said.
Rose then highlighted that WWE superstars spent a lot of money and beat up their bodies, and they were constantly on the road. She reiterated that there were not many financial benefits as an independent contractor. She also said it was important to have something to fall back on that could be a source of revenue if needed. She detailed how FanTime approached her to match her earnings over three months.
“Within three months, I got my earnings check, and I was blown away because it was basically what I make in a year from WWE. The bonus check alone was what I made as my WWE annual salary. This was all without any kind of promotion on social media. In my eyes, I didn’t really think anything was wrong with what I was doing. It wasn’t like it was anything bad. It’s just where the world is right now and where it’s going. I had to scratch my head for a second. I’m like, this is kind of crazy. It’s almost like, am I underpaid? Or is this just so lucrative? Is this the future? Is this what I’m missing out on? So you guys know the rest of the story, what happened. But it was then I realized, I don’t know, I can control my content on my terms, when I want and how I want, and I was like, this is kind of interesting," Rose said.
Rose noted that nothing was guaranteed in WWE, as your time there could end the next day. She noted that she thought she was doing well financially, but she realized she might have been leaving money on the table. She recalled getting stripped of her title and getting fired without a warning. Rose said that WWE booked her as a sex symbol, and she realized she could monetize that on her own terms.
“Let’s get back to getting fired, driving home from Orlando, and basically just watching my account go skyrocket. I’ve never checked something so much because it was almost like comical. I’m like, this is wild. Mind you, all the headlines were obviously driving these people there too because of what it was, and people were curious. Basically, they were all checking out my page. It was like the stock market just going up and up and up, and it was insane. That’s when I kind of realized, at that moment, okay, now, this was just a passive income thing, and now we’re turning this into a goldmine in a sense. I can really do, with the right marketing and the right time that you put into this, this can be something big. My life changed. I went from grinding 300-plus days out of the year, falling on my back, to basically 10-xing my money in one year. I wake up when I want, do what I want, and I don’t have to take bumps or be on the road for 300-plus days, and I basically make ten times the amount of money that I made in WWE in one year. That’s crazy," Rose said.
Mandy Rose recently discussed why a return to wrestling was not in the cards for her right now. Check out her comments here.
Click here to see what Sonya Deville had to say about her match against Mandy Rose.
If you use these quotes, please credit the original source and link back to Fightful with an h/t for the transcription.
