WWE: Sonya Deville Needs A 'Seamless' Character Change (2024)

Sonya Deville began her main roster career in the WWE as a tag partner of her best friend, Mandy Rose, in a team called "Fire and Desire," a team that never won the tag titles together. They inevitably broke up due to Sonya's frustrations with Mandy losing focus on the tag titles and instead focusing on her love interest at the time, Otis. In storyline, Sonya also conveyed that she was frustrated with living in Mandy's shadow, especially since she saw Mandy as eye candy who had no talent as a fighter or wrestler. Due to her MMA background, Sonya had a good basis to make those accusations.

This feud truly molded her into somewhat of a justified heel. Although she was not justified in being jealous of Mandy's star power and turning that jealousy into envy by merely wanting to see Mandy hurt, her storyline with Mandy was one of the best-told stories in the pandemic era. It is safe to say that Sonya even peaked in her singles career when she had this personal rivalry with Mandy in 2020 because she was truly in her element during all of those segments. Her acting skills were top notch and her heel heat gained a lot of traction. However, she has never regained that spotlight since then.

After Sonya resolved a major legal issue with a stalker who tried to kidnap her, she returned to the WWE in an Authority role. Alongside Adam Pearce, she became a GM who made key booking decisions for the women's division whilst stirring up the pot like a true heel. While she expectedly did an impeccable job in this role, there was more left to be desired since fans missed her in the ring. She eventually got back in the ring to win tag titles with Chelsea Green. However, her momentum halted again when she had a debilitating ACL injury that hindered her from enjoying her very first title reign.

Now that she has returned from said ACL injury, Sonya seems to be striking conversations with superstars in the women's division to potentially be their manager. While it is expected that she will do a good job in this role, Sonya has shown that she has the capabilities, tenacity, and grit to do so much more than merely be a manager. Her acting skills in her personal rivalry with Mandy as well as her improvement in the ring as a tag team partner with Chelsea have shown her potential to be a future main eventer. However, to become that and more, she needs a "seamless" character change.

An interesting character Sonya Deville could feasibly adopt is Cruella Deville from Disney. This idea is not only inspired by Sonya's last name but also inspired by the very impressive "Timeless" Toni Storm character in AEW that adopted the character of Marilyn Monroe. "Timeless" Toni Storm has amazing acting skills and really broke out of her shell with that character. Sonya could do the same with a character based on Cruella Deville, who was a pop-culture icon and a famous symbol of dastardly greed, vanity and evil, which are key attributes for the prototypical villain or heel in pro wrestling.

Granted, Cruella Deville was attacked by 101 Dalmatians and got her revenge by skinning them to make her fur coats. While Sonya Deville does not have to literally do that, she could adopt this character in a more figurative sense. From the very beginning, Cruella Deville realized that she saw the world differently from everyone else. That didn't sit well with some people, and no one, especially the ones closest to her, truly understood her. She even tried to follow the rules and be sweet and kind to those closest to her, but they continued to think she was crazy, insane, and just "different."

At some point, Cruella Deville snapped and realized that she was no longer the problem. She realized that the fabric of everyone's little world is torn and that she is actually ahead of the game, She realized that they simply could not fathom that she was born to be bad. She had all the time in the world to apologize for her despicable actions but she had enough of playing nice and realized that a life lived in penance is just a waste of time. So, in order to spite her doubters, she embraced the darkness and was reborn as Cruella Deville, who was not going to let anyone hold her back.

Sonya Deville could figuratively use the internal psyche of Cruella Deville to tell her story in the WWE. Just like Cruella Deville felt judged and held back by those closest to her, Sonya could use the same logic to explain why she is no longer in tag teams with "eye candy" like Mandy Rose and Chelsea Green. Just like Cruella Deville felt imprisoned by the rules set in place, Sonya could use the same logic to explain why she is no longer an Authority GM, And just like this Disney character was reborn as Cruella Deville, Sonya can be reborn in her own singles career as "Soulless" Sonya Deville.

If you're not down with that and would like even more creative pitches like these fromMark Justice, stick with Daily DDT and subscribe to his new YouTube channel by clicking on his name above.

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WWE: Sonya Deville Needs A 'Seamless' Character Change (2024)

FAQs

Why doesn't Sonya Deville wrestle anymore? ›

Sonya Deville has been out of action since July 2023 due to a knee injury, but she made her surprise return to WWE programming on Monday night's episode of Raw.

How much does WWE Sonya Deville make? ›

Soniya Deville Net Worth
NationalityAmerican
Net Worth$1 Million
Salary$150,000
EndorsementDaMandyz Donutz, clothing line called "Rainbow Love"
PartnerToni Cassano
3 more rows
Feb 15, 2024

What happened to Sonya Deville on SmackDown? ›

WWE Superstar Sonya Deville knew something was wrong after suffering an ACL injury in the ring after a midnight trip to the bathroom went awry. The injury in question occurred during the July 28, 2023, edition of WWE SmackDown which saw Deville and Chelsea Green face Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.

Who is WWE Sonya wife? ›

Berenato is gay, making her the first openly gay female wrestler in WWE. She came out during an episode of Tough Enough. She is in a relationship with model and fitness enthusiast Toni Cassano. Berenato and Cassano became engaged in February 2023 and then married in February 2024.

Why did Lilian Garcia quit WWE? ›

The reason she left the full-time WWE role

As a responsible daughter, Lilian Garcia took care of her sick father, who was fighting cancer. This decision allowed her to be with her father in his final days, which wouldn't have been possible with the busy full-time schedule in WWE.

Why is Naomi not wrestling anymore? ›

With Sasha Banks, she obtained the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship in 2022. A month later, Naomi and Banks received indefinite suspensions from WWE after the two walked out due to a creative dispute.

What is the lowest salary in WWE? ›

While the top stars will likely be on much higher salaries, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has revealed that the minimum a WWE star earns in a year is $350,000 (£275,000). This figure has surprised many on social media, though there is a debate whether the amount is enough.

Who is the richest female WWE star? ›

While this name might come as unexpected to many, this Diva is more popularly known as the Princess of Staten Island, with a net worth of an astounding $43 million USD as reported by Gamesday News Carmella first signed with WWE in 2013. She is also the winner of Money in the Bank title.

Who is the highest paid female wrestler in WWE? ›

As of 2024, several female WWE superstars have been listed among the highest paid. Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair each earn $500,000 annually, while newer entrant Jade Cargill earns $350,000. Alexa Bliss and Asuka also draw impressive salaries.

Did Sonya Deville actually tear her ACL? ›

In doing so, they won their first titles in WWE. However, Deville suffered a torn ACL during a match against Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair on the July 28 episode of WWE SmackDown. As a result, she was forced to relinquish her title.

What happened to Buzz and Sonya? ›

Vinton's two teenage children, Buzz and Sonja, who appear on the show from 1983-1985 were written out of the show in 1986, and no explanation was ever given for their whereabouts (many probably assumed that both Buzz and Sonja went to college and lived on their own).

Is Sonya Deville a WWE official? ›

After falling in a "Loser Leaves WWE" to Rose, Deville was absent from the WWE scene until returning in the role of a WWE official alongside Adam Pearce.

Why is Sonya Deville not wrestling anymore? ›

Sonya Deville hasn't appeared in a WWE ring since suffering an ACL injury back in the summer of 2023. The former Women's Tag Team Champion lost her title when she was sidelined since it was made clear that she would need surgery.

Who is Sonya dating? ›

WWE Superstar Sonya Deville married fiancée and longtime girlfriend Toni Cassano in a ceremony attended by 140 guests at The Legacy Castle in Deville's home state of New Jersey on Saturday.

Are Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville still friends? ›

After leaving WWE

She said Sonya is still her dearest companion. They don't see each other that much any longer. As indicated by the former NXT Women's Champion, Deville will continuously be her best friend.

Does Carmella wrestle anymore? ›

The former Smackdown Women's Champion has not wrestled for the WWE since March 2023. She announced she was pregnant in May last year, alongside her husband, Corey Graves. Carmella gave birth to a baby boy in November 2023, and has been out of action raising him at home.

Why did Toni leave WWE? ›

In an interview with Renee Paquette six months later, she explained the reasons that led to her departure from the company and said, "I didn't feel that appreciated. And I just felt like [WWE], at times, didn't have very much respect for me.

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