WWE's Mandy Rose Reveals She Pitched Otis Storyline to Vince McMahon Herself

Mandy Rose revealed the genesis of her ongoing storyline with Otis, which has become one of the most popular dynamics on SmackDown.

Rose told Kate McCrea of TV Series Hub she had approached WWE Chairman Vince McMahon with her proposal:

"Otis always was around in NXT and posting pics of me and talking about how much he liked me. In a cute way, not a creepy way. This continued on and I thought it would be great if this became a storyline, especially once Otis entered Wrestlemania. I actually went to Vince McMahon myself and pitched the idea and he loved it."

Rose and Otis also worked alongside Andrea Listenberger from the creative team. Listenberger announced she was among the cuts when WWE released a number of wrestlers and backstage employees amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

WWE has run similar angles before, but few connected with the fans in the organic way Rose and Otis have. The momentum behind the story was such that Otis earned a singles match with Dolph Ziggler that was built around his courtship of Rose.

Otis defeated Ziggler with some help from Rose. After the match, the couple embraced and shared a kiss.

For some fans, McMahon is responsible behind the scenes for helping stifle Raw and SmackDown creatively. Both Jon Moxley and Brodie Lee have expressed the level of frustration they felt toward the end of their WWE runs, which led to them leaving the promotion altogether.

In this case, however, McMahon may deserve a level of credit for allowing Rose, Otis and others involved the freedom necessary to see through a compelling on-screen dynamic.