WWE: Mandy Rose on her NXT Return, Big E on WWE Facing Competition, Updated SD Ratings

Mandy Rose Comments on Her Return to NXT Brand

DAZN held a recent interview with Mandy Rose. One of the topics discussed included her thoughts on her recent return to the NXT brand and being the leader of NXT’s new Toxic Attraction group.

“Sometimes switching it up is always good. NXT needed a woman like me. Like I said in my promo last week, they needed a mainstream superstar to be able to help some of the women evolve. I don’t have the most experience in wrestling compared to some of the women and a lot of the women in all of WWE. But when it comes to mainstream qualities, I have a lot of those. So I feel like why not come and help some of these women, whether it’s anything related to WWE, or whether it’s the way they dress, the way they look, the way they present themselves, the way they are perceived, the way they speak in interviews, and the list goes on and on. It’s rebranding my character a little bit. I always think it’s great to evolve. I think change is always good as well. So I wanted to switch things up a little bit. So I’m having a lot of fun in NXT. It’s been a great experience so far.”

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Big E Comments on Competition for WWE Being Good

A recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show podcast had Big E as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Big E’s thoughts on the current state of the wrestling industry and why competition is a good thing for WWE.

“It’s exciting. Watching wrestling in the mid-90s to late 90s and the Monday Night Wars, that was, to me, that felt like the golden era. We all have different golden eras, but for me as a kid, I love that era so much. It is an exciting time and for me, personally, I’m glad that so many other extremely talented performers have the opportunity to showcase their skills and that there is a place for people to work and show how good they are. If anything, it should force us in WWE to say, ‘Hey, let’s show that we’re the best. Let’s step up here and show we can put on barn burner shows every single week.’ That’s the beautiful thing, it’s a kick in the ass for the industry. It’s a positive thing all around. I love to see talented people do their thing. I have nothing negative to say about the state of wrestling and where we’re at right now. It’s a hot time. I’m not just a guy on the show. I’m put in the captain’s seat and if the shows aren’t good, that’s on me. I’m expected to be the one to help bring the tide up. We’re all supposed to rise together and I’m supposed to help drive that ship. I’m excited about the industry. I don’t think it’s time to complain. There are people who want to poke holes in things, if anything, let’s focus on us and getting better and putting on better shows and giving fans what they want and really spearhead this time in our industry.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

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Updated WWE Friday Night SmackDown Ratings

This past Friday’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown drew a final viewership of 2,135,000 on FOX, according to ShowBuzz Daily. This was up compared to the initial overnight number of 2,087,000 viewers on the network.