YMMV / Rosa Mendes

• Base-Breaking Character: During her time, she was disliked by a good portion of wrestling fans for being considered extremely weak in the ring, and showing no visible improvement in spite of her longevity with the company. There was also annoyance that she was added to Total Divas and featured in a wrestling role because of it, in favour of other Divas who weren't getting TV time. However, there are fans who felt that Rosa wasn't meant to be a wrestler but still had the charisma and microphone skills to be an effective manager and that WWE should have utilised her in that role (similar to Maryse, whose ring skills suffered after her injury and was then made a valet to play to her strengths). This portion points to some particularly strong parts of her career, such as managing Beth Phoenix, Zack Ryder or Primo and Epico.
• Best Known for the Fanservice: Any time she's gotten attention is as an eye candy valet or manager. Or else for her stunts on Total Divas such as kissing Paige or answering the door to Natalya in the nude.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: During a mixed tag match with Layla and Caylen Croft vs Kelly Kelly and Chris Masters, Rosa came out with her jump rope to try and impress Layla. The Dude Busters proceeded to leave their match and spin the rope for Rosa, prompting a tantrum from Layla. While there was the in-story reason for it (LayCool telling Rosa to get into shape), it was truly random. Rule of Funny applies though.
• Hollywood Pudgy: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported in 2009 that Rosa was asked to lose weight by WWE management. LayCool also took jabs at her for being 'out of shape', though this seemed more of a Kick the Dog moment for them and it resulted in a face turn for Rosa.
• Memetic Loser: Not without justification however, since Rosa only has one recorded win on TV, on the February 25 (taped February 22) 2011 episode of SmackDown over Layla, and that was via DQ after Layla's LayCool partner Michelle McCool attacked Rosa. She was always the first one out during battle royals too. She did pin someone on the main roster once during a Survivor Series traditional match at Survivor Series 2013, coincidentally on the 5th anniversary of her debut (and even then she didn't even perform a move to do so; she pinned Cameron after making her trip onto a turnbuckle), but this was apparently an accident with putting the match together because someone forgot she's not supposed to win. She still got eliminated a minute later and lost the match anyway.
• Memetic Mutation: 'Rosa Mendes's Weave' was a thing for a while on Diva Dirt due to the amount of times she changed her hair.
• Narm:
  • Some of the Spanish phrases she shouted out while managing Primo and Epico were clearly pronounced wrong or with the wrong grammar.^note While she was billed as being from Costa Rica, she was actually a Canadian born and raised, and is only part Costa Rican as she's of Czech and Costa Rican descent. Spanish was her first language but she lost it when she was younger.
  • Memorably during the Lumberjill match at Night of Champions 2010. She goes to throw a punch at Jillian Hall, who half-heartedly blocks it, resulting in a botch that was unfortunately sent out live with the two girls front and centre.
  • During one tag match, she got kicked by Michelle McCool and didn't sell it until a couple of seconds after she was hit.
  • In one multi-Diva battle royal, she very obviously jumped over the top rope to eliminate herself.
• Narm Charm: Rosa's dancing during Primo and Epico's entrances is incredibly silly but there was something endearing about it. AW even mocked them for it, saying "Rosa Mendes can't dance" - to which Rosa busts out a move, to a pop from the crowd.
• Never Live It Down: Rumours have circulated on the internet for years that Rosa Mendes kept her job for so long due to having an affair with Michael Hayes. Rosa later denied it after leaving WWE, stating that Michael Hayes always behaved professionally towards her. Even after setting the record straight more than once, the story still comes up.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Rosa was never a great wrestler but she had lots of charisma and promo skills, and could have been better utilised as a manager (like she was for Zack Ryder and Primo & Epico). Instead WWE mainly put her in as a Jobber and spare part in multi-Diva matches - then misguidedly trying to push her as a wrestler when she joined Total Divas.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • She debuted as Beth Phoenix's Loony Fan, going out of her way to attack Melina multiple times. As Melina was challenging Beth for the title at the 2009 Royal Rumble, it looked very odd that Rosa wasn't involved in the match or subsequent storyline at all. She and Melina never even had a match.
  • The 'storyline' of Rosa being seen with a skipping rope never actually went anywhere. Although it sold her as a jobber who needed to improve, it looked like it was either leading to Rosa joining LayCool or having a face turn to feud with them. The latter seemed to happen, but was never paid off in any meaningful way.
  • She spent the middle of 2011 in a stable with Tamina and Alicia Fox, bullying AJ Lee and Kaitlyn (who were being mentored by Natalya). After a series of tag matches, it was abruptly dropped when the Divas of Doom storyline started.
• The Woobie: Say what you will about Rosa, but she seemed really excited by the prospect of becoming part of LayCool. Rosa looked so hurt and ashamed to be rejected and mocked by them. And on Total Divas it looked very much like she was disowned by her mother because her husband is an atheist and there was debate on how their daughter would be raised.