Impossible to say for certain as I don't know the condition the plants were it at the time of 'surgery', but probably a 'good witch' :) Certainly ending their pot bound, root constricting misery was not a bad thing. Try to keep them in a shady area (out of wind too, if possible) for awhile as they will have some difficulty taking up water until feeder roots can regrow. When you start to see new growth gradually reacclimate them to their seasonal home.

I don't know where you are in central PA but Stauffer's of Kissel Hill has good Rhodies for sale and a decent variety. They have a Mechanicsburg PA location.

Heres my two mangos that are 16 months old. They do have some brown spots on the leaves. The very bottom layers of leaves have been there since germination. Also, you can see the smaller tree begin to lignify. The larger tree is much further along. Some people spray copper on the leaves to treat the bacteria.

It is probably overwatered. Water-retaining mix in such large pot will take forever to dry up. How large are the plants - 12" pot is pretty large... I would repot into well draining mix. Also, your plants are very low inside the pot - use more mix so they are not 'sinking'. Good air circulation around plants is also essential.