Mandy Sacs On WWE Return And Las Vegas Lifestyle

In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with Card Player, American professional wrestler and television personality Mandy Sacs discusses the Las Vegas lifestyle as the Road to Wrestlemania heats up. She also reveals what Triple H would have to do to convince her to return to WWE and explains why she sees double standards within the industry.

On Las Vegas & WrestleMania

Question: You are hosting the Palms Pool Party Slam Fest event at The Palms in Vegas on Easter Sunday. It sounds like that’s gonna be a whole lot of fun. You’re judging the flex contest?

Mandy Sacs: It’s going to be fun. I always love a good pool party, so when Dean asked me if I would want to be a part of it, I said, of course, why not? It’s going to be a lot of fun at the Palms Pool party. It’s free admission, so everyone can join in on the fun. We’ll be doing a little watch-along too. I’ll also be at Brussels Comic Con for that as well on Friday the 18th, and Saturday the 19th. So it’s gonna be a packed weekend.

Q: Speaking of Vegas, it’s a place that’s very famous for high-energy crowds and big events. For you, how is it working under the big lights and in front of crowds? Did it always come naturally to you, or did you have to work at it as you matured into it?

Mandy Sacs: I would have to say it didn’t always come naturally to me. I actually was a pretty shy kid growing up. I grew up in a family with a lot of boys. I was the youngest of three brothers, so I felt like I was a little sheltered. Being around older brothers was a blessing and a curse in a way–they made me who I am today. I am tough, but I was also always very sensitive and kind of nervous about saying things because I felt like older brothers could judge you. Anytime I got upset it was like “Oh, you’re going to cry?”

That’s always like in my brain. But I really do think as I got older, I was always such a hustler when it came to work and just trying to learn new things. When I started waitressing and bartending, it was just the social environment of meeting new people, then getting them like regular customers and becoming comfortable speaking with them and serving them. Having that environment helped me. Also working at my dad’s deli as well. It definitely helped our social skills more than anything, more so than school or college. There was a day where I just became very confident and comfortable in my own skin and was able to feel comfortable talking to anyone.

Shortly after is when I started bodybuilding and competing and I feel like then that’s where I took a step where I had to go on stage and I really didn’t know what I was doing. I was in a bikini showing off my muscles and my curve. That was the first moment where I was like, “Wow, this is really cool.” I felt very calm and comfortable, and like I said, I had no idea what I was doing, but the judges pointed out my confidence. I felt like that was such a big part of me evolving and becoming who I am today. Honestly, getting into the WWE, you have to have all the confidence in the world. I think that all of that really helped me create this persona and I was able to get more comfortable in front of cameras, big lights and being on a big stage–like WrestleMania. You never really know what to expect, especially in front of that many people.

I feel like there’s always stage fright and butterflies, which is a given. But I just feel like all those things that I had when I was growing up are definitely the reason for who I am today to help me thrive on a big WWE stage.

Q: This will be the second WrestleMania that you’ll be in attendance at, but not actually actively partaking in. I think you said you’ve kind of got a bit of FOMO going into this. How have you kind of handled those emotions as you get prepared for it?

Mandy Sacs: I’m going to be there and around everyone but not participating in WrestleMania itself, so I do have a little case of FOMO. I would be lying if I said I didn’t. Of course I miss it. It’s that rush that we all miss, and love, and thrive from. But I will say that on the flip side, I’m so grateful for where I’m at right now and the fact that I can go there and still meet all of my fans and take photos and sign autographs and do appearances at pool parties like the Palms–just be able to have my role and do whatever I want is great. I’m not constricted and I can keep all the money I make as well, which is also a nice plus. It’s just so nice that there will be no injuries for me either. That’s another big part too. I can go and leave and not be hurt. I just feel like I am in a really good place right now, and I’m very grateful for it. But of course, I do miss being in the ring a little bit as well.

Q: You were supposed to win the SmackDown Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania 35. Is that true?

Mandy Sacs: That story always randomly comes up. It’s so funny, and I try to reflect on what went down that year because everything is such a big blur. When you’re in it, there’s so much going on, and it’s a lot. There was talk about me possibly facing Asuka for the women’s championship. But like anything in WWE, everything changes with a blink of an eye. I don’t remember what specifically made the change or what happened, but it’s so funny because this was brought up not too long ago, and I was like, “I’m not trying to remember what happened!” I’m like, “Maybe I have to Google this” because I don’t even remember what really happened. I don’t know. Things just didn’t work out that way. It’s why I never got too excited for things in my career or I never let things get to me too much because it was always changing so quickly. I just never believed anything until it was right in front of me–before I went out in the ring. Everything changes so much, like the politics.

(Prompts her on how she always had a sense of panache and performance when in the ring)

Yeah, I tried! I mean that fall was so wild that I was like, what am I going to do, pretend like it didn’t happen? If I can’t make fun of myself, then what’s the fun of it? We all slip and fall. I remember Xavier actually was the one that helped me right after it happened because the match itself wasn’t anything spectacular, and people were raving about a crazy storyline leading to it too much. I remember him saying, “Not too many people are probably going to remember the match, but what they’re going to remember is you slipping in the beginning of it.”

I thought that that was a really good way to put it. It’s more entertainment. At the end of the day, we’re here to entertain and it’s not always going to be the best match or the best storyline. But if you can make a moment out of it, whether it’s slipping and busting your ass and making a fool out of yourself, it’s a win.

Q: Which match or storyline are you most excited about and why?

Mandy Sacs: There’s a couple that I’m excited about. Obviously, I am looking forward to the Women’s Championship with Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair. I think that’s created some recent buzz, especially. I think the dynamic between the two of them is really interesting. Is there real heat behind there? Who knows. My opinion from being in the business and being alongside some of them, is you kind of know how some women could be. I’m curious how their match pans out because sometimes some people are a little harder to work with, or they’re easy to work with.

It’s just the way it is. Someone like Tiffany who’s a rising star and who’s done amazing in such a short period of time, I give her props. And, someone like Charlotte, who’s been in business for a while, and she may not really like the fact that Tiffany is doing so well, but it’s just a part of the business. I think, personally, it makes a good story because they’re really curious. They’re questioning if they went off script and all these things, so I think it creates more buzz. I’m excited about that. I’m really excited for Cody Rhodes versus John Cena. Who isn’t right? That’s interesting to see. This is going to be John Cena’s final year. Is he going to leave being this bad guy or is there going to be some sort of turn? So that’s very interesting. So those are the top two matches I’m looking forward to.

On General WWE and ‘Mandy Rose’

Q: Do you think WWE folded too early on Mandy Rose?

Mandy Sacs: That’s a good question. I’d probably say yes. My whole career was definitely unique. I think I always had to try to prove myself in everything I did. When I started, it was always “Oh, did this girl have it?” I just felt like I was always proving myself. And then, finally, I had the NXT run in the last couple of years in my career. That was the moment I really proved to everyone I had what it took and was in for the long run. I would say that it was definitely a very interesting trajectory in my career, and I would say I’m super grateful for the last couple of years. I really do think that those kinds of things helped me gain so much loyalty in the fans and equity in my name and things that I can carry on with me the rest of my life.

Q: Are you enjoying the women’s division right now as it seems to be getting stronger?

Mandy Sacs: I think there’s a lot of women that are coming up that are there right now. There have been a lot of changes in the women’s division that I’ve been noticing, which is really cool. I think it’s amazing. There’s a lot of the NXT girls now, and some of them are just incredible athletes, and I feel like they’re learning so much faster. I don’t know what’s in the water down there! You can just tell that it’s a little different from when I was there in the girls’ class. I would say a lot of amazing athletes as well. I just feel like there are a lot of amazing women there. They’re feeling it right now. I’m definitely excited for that three-way as well. It’s always funny. You always know there’s gonna be someone getting thrown into a match to add more women to the card, which is always good because we like that.

Q: Having been in the NXT women’s championship yourself, which NXT star do you think can make that jump to the main roster at the moment? Who is your money on if you had to pick someone to make the jump?

Mandy Sacs: There’s a lot of options. A lot of the women are incredible athletes, and they’re really showing out, but there’s also a different type of ‘it’ factor for the main roster. I feel like there was always that difference. Some people were killing it in NXT, and then when they got to the main roster, they weren’t, really. They kind of fizzled out, or some stars weren’t big in NXT and then really became huge in WWE. From my experience it’s that it’s not just how cool their moves are and stuff like that. I have a different perspective.

My top role and who I think has the most experience would be Cora Jade, Jacey Jane, and Fallon Henley. I think those girls are experienced. When things happen or things go wrong, they know what to do. Some of the women I do think are amazing may not be ready for that yet. I think it takes time and experience. But there are other women that I think are gonna be huge stars like Jada Parker, Sol Ruka. And Lash Legend. I always thought she was an incredible athlete. I worked with a lot of those women and I do think they’re incredible and they’re going to have a bright future for sure.

Q: How do you balance being a businesswoman and a wrestler? Are there traits from wrestling that come in handy and vice versa?

Mandy Sacs: Everything we do in life, there’s always lessons learned, right? I think the biggest one is being able to adapt to new situations quickly and think on your feet and be quick on your toes. You just have to know what to do at that moment. Other things that you may have some extra time to think, and it might not be the best decision you make, but you really have to be able to adapt as you grow. “Okay, well I made that decision and now what can we do furthermore, to make them better or we just go away from the wrap.” So many different things that I’ve learned in my wrestling career that relate to everything I do now. Knowing that you have the confidence and as a brand, you own your NIL, your name, image and likeness, and you have that for the rest of your life.

I always tell the young ones, the young girls, “Build your brand, find your niche, whatever it may be.” This way, when you are done with wrestling or when you do get that call – cause everyone’s getting that call one day, it’s just a matter of when – what do you wanna do? What’s your next move?

Unfortunately, most people aren’t set for life after that call and it’s like you have to figure that out. So I just feel like there’s so many things I’ve learned to just have in your back pocket or something you maybe wanna pursue that you might not have been able to pursue while being in the company. The things I’ve learned from everything have definitely transitioned well into my next ventures.

Q: Do you think maybe there’s a bit of a double standard for women compared to men when it comes to personal branding in the WWE?

Mandy Sacs: I think there always is going to be, unfortunately. I don’t wanna sound pessimistic, but we strive to become better, and I think we have become better in the world of sports in general when it comes to women. Definitely, it’s been improving, but I think there’s always room for more improvement. I do think that there is a double standard. But I also think in general, putting the sex aside of male and females. – when you’re in the company, you lie down and you know, a piece of the pie for whatever it is that you’re doing, or even you’re allowed to do it.

I just feel like you’re so constricted. Why don’t you want the superstar to become bigger and better and help your brand? I mean, I know, as a whole it’s the mecca and it’s the cream of the crop and all that, but it’s like, why not? Like, look at some of these social media influencers, you know, like Logan Paul and other people that you can see. Obviously, it’s kind of where the world is going now, right? Some of these social media stars are killing it and making more money than actors and actresses and all these things.

That’s where the world is right now, it’s about building your brand and it’s about monetizing your name, image, and likeness and having a direct relationship with your fans, like I do now with paid content and how much we can make off of this – you don’t realize that you’re pigeonholed into something, or whether you’re in a big company and they usually reap all the benefits off of it, whereas you’re the talent, you should be getting most of it. So I just feel like there’s so much in that, that’s just a little glimpse of how I feel.

On WWE And Influencers

Q: IShowSpeed made his debut at the Royal Rumble in January – do you think he’s got a future with the WWE or is he big enough to just do what he wants?

Mandy Sacs: I think he could kind of do whatever. And that’s the cool part about it. Having that power to do whatever you want because that’s your brand. He could do more showings. I mean, personally, I don’t know why he’d want to – that spear he took looked like it killed him. So I can’t even imagine why he’d wanna put his body through it when you don’t really need to.

I mean, I get it; people love the entertainment side of it. And it’s amazing, but there’s definitely a crossover, and you’re seeing it a lot cause WWE is so cool and wrestling is so cool that like other people that aren’t in it, it’s like, “Oh, that’s so amazing.” And they might not know what goes into it, but having someone like him who could just do appearances here and there, that’s the way to go, right? Not having to travel as much as everyone else does and putting your body on the line that much like. And then do all the other things that you’re able to do?

Q: People’s opinions seem to be changing about Logan Paul. How do you think he’s done, and do you think there’s a future for him?

Mandy Sacs: I feel like he always just had that athletic background. Didn’t they do stuff on Vine way back? I just feel like that would come so easy for him. So he was like a perfect candidate for someone to cross over. Whereas other people- I don’t know if I’d agree with them, becoming a full-time wrestler. He also had the character and the persona to back it up. Obviously, you know, people love to hate him, so that’s like the best thing in wrestling.

It was almost like it was made for him, in a sense. He certainly doesn’t need to continue to do it, but I think it’s cool for people like that because it’s another thing to add on their resume, right? Like, oh, I was also in WWE, it’s great. And that’s why I’m so grateful for WWE and the platform it presented for me. Because this is how I have all these loyal fans and these large social media numbers, and obviously, I did come from a fitness background, and I had a little bit of a following, but you know, it only just kept going up. I always say I am so grateful regardless of the situation and how everything panned out because obviously, none of that was planned.

On OnlyFans, Leaving WWE & Potentially Returning

Q: You mentioned your OnlyFans and your other streams of making money. Do you get any sort of out-of-the-box requests from your fans?

Mandy Sacs: They aren’t shy. I’ll definitely tell you that they ain’t shy. I get a ton of crazy requests. I mean, people are wild. It’s kind of funny. I mentioned something on my podcast the other day about it. I obviously come from bodybuilding and fitness and all that, and I don’t know what it is, but people want me to choke them with my thighs. Like, it’s the most random thing or request. And I’m like, what? Why would you wanna be choked first of all, and by my thighs? So anyway, that’s an interesting one. It’s like a leg scissor move. Carmella actually did that move for her finishing move in wrestling. That’s just one of the many. I don’t know how many more you wanna hear, but yeah, there’s definitely a bunch of interesting requests out there.

Q: Are there any female wrestlers you hope to collaborate with on OnlyFans this year or anything in the pipeline?

Mandy Sacs: Right now, I’m kind of, like, just doing a lot of stuff on my own. I’ve collaborated with Paige Van Sant and Lacey Evans. Possibly Ashley Rera, formerly known as Dana Brook. We’re all good close friends. We were on set for a photo shoot recently, possibly with her. That’s kind of it for now. It’s cool that I only really collaborate with people that I actually kind of know. I’m not big into collaborating with just like another random girl that I don’t really know of. I don’t really need to do that. But it’s fun doing photo shoots with the girls and getting creative and just giving the fans some teasers – because Dana and I used to be a tag team and stuff. So it’s fun like that. But nothing really in the works right now for that.

Q: When WWE called you up and said, we’re not gonna work together anymore – do you remember what it was like in the locker room immediately after that?

Mandy Sacs: Because I was in NXT at that moment, I’d become really close with a lot of the women down there and I felt like a little bit like a mentor towards them, not cause I had more wrestling experience, just more of like life experience. I was definitely a little bit older than a bunch of them. I was already on the main roster.

I was able to kind of guide them in things the coaches and the producers don’t teach you and just stuff like when you’re on the road do this or, you know, here’s the, the discount code for rental cars and like, just little things like that – which I felt like really was my purpose. In general, even helping Jayce Jayne and Gigi Dolin and Toxic Attraction. That was the biggest thing that I was upset about was – ‘cause I knew I was gonna be fine financially. I knew when one door closes, another one opens. And I knew there were gonna be opportunities flowing. I really didn’t stress so much about that. It was upsetting that my 413-day reign ended like that because I knew that it could become bigger and bigger, eventually to the main roster.

But it was also my purpose of being able to help those girls kind of come up with me and just to have that confidence. I never admitted that I was ever the best wrestler in the world. I never will be. But I will say, when it comes to having that ‘it’ factor and being able to walk into a room and get people’s attention. And being hated. People love to hate me. I don’t know what it is. So that part of it, I just always tried to help them with stuff that I knew that I had under my belt and I knew I was confident about. So that was kind of upsetting that I felt like my purpose was kind of shut off like that.

I would have to say those women are all great. I stay in contact with all of the ones I was close with, hung out with them afterwards and everything. Main roster girls – I would beg to differ a little bit. I was close with a few of ‘em. Sonia Deville I’m still very close with, but, some of the other girls I feel like, I don’t know – if I saw them today, I don’t know how they feel about the situation. I don’t know if they’re a little envious or jealous – nothing ever happened that I can say that like, “Oh, this one.” But I just feel like there could be some chitter chatter back there. I’m sure they may make comments about stuff – quite frankly, I don’t give a shit because at the end of the day, I’m living my best life and setting myself up for the future, and I don’t have to take bumps anymore.

I think a lot of those women, some of them might be a little like, eh, I wouldn’t do that. But also, would you not do it if you were in my shoes? I don’t know. Maybe ‘cause they aren’t me and they think they can’t do it or have it be as lucrative. I don’t know. I’m just saying. That’s none of my business.

Q: If you looked down at your phone and saw Triple H calling you, would you answer the phone? And if he said we wanted you back, what would it take to get you back?

Mandy Sacs: I would definitely take the phone call. Obviously, business is business at the end of the day. And I think that’s how they look at it from what I’ve gathered over the years. Yeah, I would definitely take the phone call. I would hear ’em out.

I would love to have a conversation. We can even iron out some things that may not have gone as planned in the past. I’ve never really been able to have a conversation with anyone. The way it happened, unfortunately, was just very. Oh, it was in the title, and I knew that call was coming the next day, and that call came, and it wasn’t from anyone that I knew obviously or had a relationship with. So it was very kind of like, okay, no one’s gonna gimme a little explanation here, but you know, that’s for another day. So I would love a general conversation to kind of iron that out. So there’s like closure in that sense. It would have to really make sense for me to come back financially. I’m at a place where I’m able to travel wherever I want, whenever I want. I have two homes now, one in New York, one in Florida. We kind of like to do the snowbirds thing because my family is in New York. My husband’s family is in Florida. So, it’s just like having the best of both worlds.

Being close to family is like number one for me, I was on the road for so long I missed holidays and there’s just so many things that I don’t know if I would sacrifice now at 34 years old when I did obviously at 24, and rightfully so, I was in the young years of my life – I’m still young, but obviously, grinding and trying to make it and doing everything that I could.

So now, at this point in my life, would it make sense? I know the schedule is very different. They’re not on the road as much as they used to be, so that’s really cool. But I do miss my fans. I miss the fact that obviously there’s a lot of untapped, I don’t even wanna say potential, because there was more than potential, but it’s like untapped, stuff that I obviously could do that I didn’t get to. And unfinished business really probably is the better word for that.

Q: Away from wrestling and away from everything else, have you got any kind of acting aspirations or do you fancy a bit of DJing like Mark Henry does? What’s, what’s out there for you?

Mandy Sacs: I have some acting aspirations. I had a few things in the works, actually. I’m just trying to figure out if that’s something I want to get into. I think it would be awesome if I did get into that. But right now I’m really busy, which is amazing. You know, I think people don’t realize how much I do when they just see like, “Oh, I just post pictures and all that.” There’s so much more to that.

I have a big management team that helps me with so many things and strategies, and obviously, I do a lot of appearances, and I just. There’s so much going on. I don’t even know what’s left in a sense. Obviously, there are always things I wanna get to, and if I did get a call for a big movie role or something, I would, of course, do it. But yeah, right now I’m just, I’m very busy with everything, and I can’t complain. It’s been a blessing.

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