The Best Options to Replace Mandy Rose in Toxic Attraction

There hasn't been a day that's gone by in the past couple of weeks that Mandy Rose hasn't made news on the pro wrestling news websites.

Ever since she was released, apparently due to the explicit content on her FanTime page, people have been reacting, speculating, weighing in, and taking sides.

My thoughts on the matter: I liked Mandy. She was always OK, but was never involved in anything I was excited about. Her feud with Sonya was good, her relationship with Otis was fun, her alliance with Paige was a good way to debut, and the best part of her tag team with Dana Brooke was Asuka naming the duo her, "Sexy Muscle Friends."

I think her work with Toxic Attraction is a little overrated, but she did manage to reinvent herself and made names out of Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne along the way. While Mandy certainly improved in NXT, I wouldn't say she affects the women's division in NXT, or in WWE, in any significant way.

NXT has half a dozen (or more) women there who are more athletic than Mandy. WWE has women on the main roster who are just as beautiful as Mandy, too. The way I see it, there's no big loss in letting Mandy go or jumping ship to AEW. 

Best of luck to Mandy with her future endeavors, or a possible WWE return down the road. I just don't have strong feelings about her release. It's an interesting situation, but I'm not emotionally invested in any of this.

I'd hate to see Jacy and Gigi suffer because of Mandy's release though. They're not the best workers in the world, but they have unique personalities, have the gimmick down already, and are a good tag team. Lord knows the WWE could use some credibility in their women's tag team division, no matter what brand we're talking about. The question is: what happens to Gigi and Jacy?

Now is the perfect time to call them up to the main roster. It doesn't have to be a big debut. I'd have them show up and watch a tag match. The next week do some guest commentary. After that, step in the ring for a tag match, and not against the champions right away! Build them up a little bit.

Maybe wait until sometime in January. I would probably call them up before the Royal Rumble though. They could be surprise entrants in the Rumble, but that could backfire on WWE. If that Toxic Attraction theme hits and there's no Mandy Rose, the crowd in San Antonio (likely to be filled with smart marks) could react negatively to Gigi and Jacy .

From there, give them a few wins on Smackdown or Raw going into Wrestlemania, and, if fans receive them well on the main roster, give them the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania. It's likely to be a 3 or 4 tag team match, so maybe don't give them the win at 'Mania. 

Natalya or Sonya could lose in a match against Damage CTRL, Toxic Attraction, and another team like Raquel and Shotzi or Tegan Nox and Liv Morgan.

If Gigi and Jacy don't eat the loss at Wrestlemania, then they could have match for the titles at Wrestlemania Backlash and win them there. I know WWE doesn't like heel vs. heel feuds, but maybe the new regime under Triple H would be more receptive to it. This doesn't need to be a long feud. 

Damage CTRL could still feud with another team of fan favorites at the same time. Maybe Raquel and Shotzi or Tegan and Liv or Asuka and Candice LeRae cost Damage CTRL the titles, resulting in Toxic Attraction securing the victory. 

Regardless of how it all goes down, there's a lot that can be done with Toxic Attraction on the main roster. Mandy Rose's release is the perfect time to move them up because they really don't have anything else to prove in NXT.

If Toxic Attraction gets called up, how does their act change? Do they find a replacement for Mandy Rose? TNA faced a similar situation with The Beautiful People in 2009 after Angelina Love had some issues with her work visa. 

Lacey Von Erich was brought in to join Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky as the third member of the group. Angelina eventually returned and feuded with the updated version of The Beautiful People. WWE could easily do something like that here, but who are the best candidates to replace Mandy Rose in Toxic Attraction?

Here are the options on my list:

Sonya Deville - This alliance was already previewed in NXT several weeks ago. Sonya made a couple of guest appearances, noting that she and Mandy patched things up. Sonya would certainly bring a different dynamic to the group than Mandy does, but the more focused, business-minded Sonya could provide a nice evolution for Toxic Attraction.

It would take some adjusting, but I think Gigi and Jacy could develop some chemistry with Sonya, too. I really didn't see much chemistry between Gigi, Jacy , and Mandy to begin with.

 They are just the mean girls of NXT. Sonya proved a few times now that she can pull off a mean girl character, too, even if it's not Regina George mean, but a Cruella Deville-style mean instead.

Eva Marie - This former Diva sparked some speculation recently as rumors ramped up that she could return. I honestly don't see a purpose in her returning but she's the most capable one of filling Mandy Rose's spot in the same gimmick. 

She'd be more of a manager than the wrestling centerpiece of the group, but maybe that's a good thing. I feel that Jacy and Gigi were often overshadowed by Mandy because all the focus was on Mandy as the NXT Women's Champion. 

Eva would certainly help get Gigi and Jacy heat if WWE wants a women's tag team that can get a reaction. As silly as it is, I have to talk about Eva's hair. She had red hair during her first stint, purple hair on Celebrity Big Brother, and pink hair during her second WWE run. 

If she were to return with Toxic Attraction, she's gotta' go black. It would bring a harder edge to the group. She could have plenty of hashtags to work with, too, since she's always focused on social media. #Blackout

Cameron - I don't think WWE would be interested in this, but Cameron is another possibility. She's another one from the end of the Divas era who has the mean girl routine figured out. During her return to NXT a few years ago, her couple of appearances in AEW, and few moments in the Royal Rumble last year, Cameron showed she was more comfortable in the ring than before. 

She's also probably more athletic than a lot of us give her credit for. Rather than a Mandy Rose clone with different colored hair (see Eva Marie), Cameron offers some flavor and sass to the group. Even if she's not the 'leader,' she could be the mouthpiece that stirs the pot and gets the group in trouble with other teams on the roster.

Summer Rae - While Summer also returned at the 2022 Royal Rumble, and was backstage for Raw in Nashville this past week, I don't know that she'd fit in very well here. The pairing could work, but Summer isn't my first choice.

She's more of a prissy heel who doesn't want to get her hands dirty. Toxic Attraction is all about bringing the fight, fighting dirty, and winning. I don't think Summer's character would be an immediate fit. They could certainly develop some chemistry along the way, but it would be almost a mismatch on paper.

Blair Davenport - Even though Blair is currently out with an injury, joining Toxic Attraction when she returns could be a big benefit to her career. Blair, being the most experienced wrestler of the bunch, would be the in-ring leader, for sure.

She'd actually be benefitting, too, though. Toxic Attraction made a name for themselves in NXT, and even though Blair has been successful in putting on good matches while in AEW and NXT UK, she hasn't formed a memorable character in WWE yet. She just moved over to NXT in 2022 and then got injured.

Blair is a good talent. She can talk, she can wrestle, and she has a funky look that would pair well with Gigi and Jacy. This could be just the spot she needs to help not only Toxic Attraction, but herself as well.

Alicia Fox - Speaking of funky, Alicia Fox has a lot of that. She's almost a bit too crazy to join Toxic Attraction, but she'd certainly add some character to the group!

Alicia is an underrated wrestler, she's good on the mic, and she has the longevity in her career to lead a team like Toxic Attraction. She can definitely help Gigi and Jacy navigate main roster life.

Of course, this all depends on Alicia Fox even wanting to return to WWE. I have no idea if Vince McMahon or Triple H (whoever ends up being in charge in Stamford) are fans of Alicia, but she's made appearances since her departure from the full-time roster, so there must be someone backstage who is pulling for her.

Chelsea Green - Rumors have been floating around for about a month that WWE is bringing Chelsea Green back, that WWE is bringing her husband, Zack Ryder, back too, and that WWE is going to debut a new reality series about the couples of WWE.

Chelsea can work, so she gets an immediate point in that area. She also has an attitude to her that could match very well with Gigi and Jacy.

It's a bit of funk, a bit of edge, and a bit of sexy. She's got enough ring experience that she could fully lead the group, not just on the mic. I think Chelsea could be put in a lot of other storylines on her own, so working with Toxic Attraction isn't necessarily the only option for her, but it would help the group if she showed up and lead the way for them in 2023.

Emma - Another woman who can get the job done in the ring is Emma. She's the best wrestler on this list, honestly. Emma is a face right now, but she's kind of in limbo on Smackdown as it is.

Emma, like Chelsea, brings a different kind of appeal than someone like Mandy Rose or Eva Marie. She's got looks, but she's also got in-ring skills and mic skills.

Plus, based on her previous work in WWE, ROH, and Impact, she brings a fun and unique heel persona that could play off of Gigi and Jacy very well if given the chance.

I don't see a big push coming for Emma until after Wrestlemania. Using the Royal Rumble to set up Wrestlemania is the priority right now, and Emma doesn't fit into those plans. She could easily be a Wrestlemania-worthy competitor, but not right now when Becky, Charlotte, Ronda, Bianca, Rhea, Alexa, and Asuka are all around.

Emma needs to find her groove in this new women's division she's in. Working with Toxic Attraction could be exactly what she, Jacy, and Gigi all need to make an impact.

Carmella - This is probably the best fit of the bunch. Carmella, sadly, shared news about losing her child in an ectopic pregnancy. The miscarriage happened in early September, so that's why she's been off TV for a while.

If she's ready to return, Carmella could easily step into the spot as the third member (and leader) of Toxic Attraction. She's got the charisma, the on-screen character, and the main roster experience to lead Jacy and Gigi to success on Raw or Smackdown.

It could be a nice evolution for Carmella, too. She already won the Smackdown Women's Title (after being the first Ms. Money in the Bank), she won the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles, and she's feuded with all the major players who are currently in the division outside of Ronda or the up-and-comers like Raquel, Aliyah, Xia Li, and Candice LeRae.

Working in a faction while still maintaining her status as a singles competitor would be very beneficial to Carmella. Like a few others on this list, Carmella could also help Jacy and Gigi in terms of mic skills, the politics that comes with being on the main roster, and solidifying their characters in front of larger audiences.

Nobody - Jacy and Gigi aren't at Becky Lynch's level on the mic, but they're actually quite capable on their own.

They have shown glimpses of that during the promos for their two main roster tryout matches on Smackdown this fall. They've shown that during the little bit of mic time they've been given during Toxic Attraction promos on NXT, too.

I think a third member would certainly add more excitement to their group, but going into the main roster tag division as just the two of them isn't out of the question. Considering these are two women I thought may struggle to find their place in NXT, they formed an alliance with Mandy and never looked back.

I have a feeling they'd get over just fine without a third member of the group. It may be a slower process, but it'll happen.

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