In February of 2017, Rosa Mendes announced her pro wrestling retirement in order to focus more on her child and business venture, Totally Fit Mama. In an interview with WWE, Rosa stated that she could not have made her decision without her family, and thanked Vince McMahon for the opportunity to “perform in front of thousands and thousands of people for so many years.”
Mendes was also asked whether she could see herself back in the WWE one day.
“Absolutely. Because, I’ll tell you one thing, my passion for [WWE] will never go away, I will always love [it] from the bottom of my heart,” said Mendes. “It’s something that I’m going to have in my heart forever. You never know, if [my daughter] Jordan wants to be a WWE Superstar … I never got the championship, but I could see her being a champion one day. I’m not going to force her, but I’ll just let her watch WWE. The whole, entire family and I, we watch WWE every week and she jumps up and down [and starts dancing] whenever she hears The New Day.”
A year later, Mendes had decided to return to pro wrestling. During a recent interview on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show, Mendes revealed why she made the decision to return.
“I feel like when I retired, I had a little bit of regret that I wasn’t in the ring enough,” said Mendes. “Actually, a lot of regret. My father was in the ICU recently, and on his deathbed and he was on life support. And, at the same time, Bobby [Schubenski] had a separation. So, it was one of those moments in my life where I looked at my father, and he was dying, and I thought to myself, I don’t ever want to have any regrets. I don’t ever want to be in a position where I’m laying here just like my dad, and that I never fulfilled my dream of having a five-star match in the ring. And I’ve never felt that. And I have a daughter now, and I never want her to have any regrets.
“So, I’m looking at her and raising her, and how could I tell her to do something that I didn’t do? How could I tell her, ‘Follow your dreams, do everything you’ve ever wanted and have no fear,’ when I didn’t do that in my life. So basically… that kind of snapped in my head, and I was like, I have to go back in the ring. I have to. What’s the match that I could back, and even if I won or lost, I gave it everything I had and I’m proud of myself. And I can’t say that right now. So, that’s the reason why I’m going back, and I’m working harder than I ever have in my whole entire life.”
I also asked Mendes what wrestler she would like to face on the current WWE roster, and she said Charlotte. She was inspired by the NXT match between Charlotte and Natalya. She stated that she would love to face Natalya again, but with “all the technical skills” she has developed recently from her rigorous training. Mendes added that she wants to make a name for herself on the independent circuit before she talks to WWE about a contract. She also wants to stay competing on the weekends while her daughter is young, and as she gets older, she would be more open to going back full-time.
Mendes shared that her oddest pairing, while she was a manager, was Fandango. Although they got along well, she feels that they did not have much chemistry as a wrestler-valet pair. Her favorite pairings were when she managed Primo and Epico, and her brief stint with Zack Ryder. She also shared her thoughts on the criticisms received while in WWE, and vows to prove the naysayers wrong in her comeback.
If any of these quotes are used, please be sure to credit the Pancakes and Powerslams Show for the transcription.
