Mandy Rose Clarifies Status of Next Week’s Match With IIconics, Weighs in on Speculation of Romantic Angle With Sonya Deville

– Mandy Rose spoke with Uproxx for a new interview and discussed her and Sonya Deville’s match with the IIconics next week, plus more. Highlights are below:

On her friendship with Sonya Deville in both real-life and on-screen: “My relationship with Sonya is very real, on and off the screen. Obviously we are best friends off of TV and we have been since we met, so we try to keep everything as real as possible, even when we’re on TV, with our characters, because that’s the most authentic and real to the fans. So it hasn’t gotten complicated between the two of us really, ever. We have a very interesting dynamic where we understand the business. We understand how it works, and we’re so lucky to have each other because obviously it’s hard to find real, true friends in life in general but especially in business that’s super competitive and ruthless. So it’s really good that we have each other, and have that support. That we can go to each other with anything, and drive to shows together. So it’s never gotten complicated, ever, with the two of us. I hope it never does, because we have a great relationship, and I hope it never gets like that, because we want to continue our friendship. It’s everlasting, outside of WWE as well.”

On their promo flub from this week’s Smackdown: “It got a little confusing. Sonya got confused and thought it was a title match, and then I tried to correct her: If we win we get a title match. So next week, as of now, we’re supposed to be competing against the IIconics, and if we win we earn an opportunity for a title match.”

On if it’s been frustrating to be a tag team when the titles haven’t been defended much: “Yeah, it’s hard, because there’s so little time for everyone to get put on the show, obviously. And you have these spurts where sometimes you don’t see certain titles being used as much. And I think we just try to make the best of it, to be honest. It’s hard. The good thing I have to say about Sonya and I, even as a tag team we do get some opportunities for singles matches. I think lately more than tag matches to be honest. But it’s always good to branch and build your character by itself as well, with the support of someone valeting you or on the apron or whatever it may be. So we do get those opportunities. And I think it’s just a time thing, and I think it’s hard to fit so many people on a two hour show, in the case of Smackdown. So it’s definitely frustrating for sure, but I’m hoping it’ll get a little bit better. And I’m hoping that now that we’re involved more with the Tag Titles, that we can show our strength in tag teaming as well.”

On their dream tag team opponents: “Yeah, actually we had talked about how facing the IIconics would be fun, and I know it’s heel/heel, but they’re just very entertaining. They’re a great tag team, and it’s kinda cool because they’re really best friends in real life as well, so I feel like their dynamic is kind of similar to ours. They have great chemistry together just like Sonya and I have great chemistry, so I’m actually really looking forward to this match next Tuesday on Smackdown. Because we’ve never actually faced them, so it should be fun. And it’s also like full circle, because back in NXT before they were the IIconics, I faced them in a couple of my first matches, so they kind of like showed me the ropes because they’d wrestled before WWE, so they were always a big help to me, and I respect that.”

On her dream singles opponent: “My dream opponent for a singles match… I mean I always say this, and I don’t know that there’s ever going to be a chance of her coming back, obviously not full-time, but maybe here and there: Trish Stratus would be my dream opponent. She had a similar story to me. She was a big inspiration to me, getting involved in this, and still to this day I look up to her and the career she had. And the person she is—when I first met her she’s just super down to Earth. She’s awesome. So she’s definitely still one of my dream opponents, and I feel like that would be a pretty hot match-up.”

On speculation that there may be a romantic storyline between her and Deville: “I don’t have many insights to offer on that. I think there’s definitely rumors and stuff like that. But it’s also hard to say because my character is pretty sexual and pretty sassy, the way I am. So anything I do, it doesn’t really matter if it’s to Sonya or to anyone else. It’s just who my character is, so it’s hard to judge. But I guess you’re just going to have to stay tuned, right? You never know.”