Sonya Deville hasn’t been in the WWE long, but she’s made an impact in every role. Sonya Deville has made an impact in wrestling despite her short career. Though she didn’t win Tough Enough in 2015, WWE signed her after she showed talent. Deville has shone ever since. Deville has stood out in her crowded field whether in a stable, tag team, singles competition, or authority figure. When someone excels at every role, it’s interesting to consider their best.
8. Tough Enough
It was fun to get to know Daria Berenato when she was still in training. She was a reality TV star who wanted to rule WWE’s women’s division.
Like her future best friend Mandy Rose, Deville got a WWE contract despite not winning the season. Deville’s awkward “fallen angel” entrance and her national television coming out as gay, which she admitted she hadn’t planned, were some of the show’s best moments.
7. NXT
Shortly after signing her WWE deal, Sonya Deville debuted in NXT. She wrestled several matches under her real name Daria Berenato before changing her name in 2017. Unfortunately, there honestly wasn’t a ton for her to do while with the brand. Asuka, Ember Moon, and many other talented women were in Deville’s division. There wasn’t really any room for Deville. Deville won a No Holds Barred Match against Ruby Riott, her biggest rival.
6. Dolph Ziggler Alliance
This was a short-lived run for Sonya Deville, but it came in between two of her best ones. With the focus on the love triangle between Mandy Rose, Dolph Ziggler, and Otis, it left Deville as something of a background player. That changed a bit when it was revealed that she was in cahoots with Ziggler planning the ultimate demise of Mandy Rose & Otis. The two worked together to sabotage the Rose/Otis situation. This era allowed Deville to shine a bit away from Rose, but she still wasn’t really on her own. She mostly supported Ziggler, but it was enough to set up a 2020 Summerslam match against Rose.
5. ABSOLUTION
Soon after Sonya Deville’s stint with NXT, she got a shocking call-up in late 2017. Paige made a return from a long-standing injury to interrupt a match involving many of the top women on the Raw roster. She didn’t come alone, bringing Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose with her, forming Absolution and putting the women’s division on notice in the process. As part of this group, Deville picked up some major accomplishments, including wins over the likes of Sasha Banks. While with Absolution, Deville also participated in the first Women’s Royal Rumble and in the first all-female Elimination Chamber. She also made her WrestleMania debut as well.
4. Total Divas
Technically, this isn’t really a run itself, but it is a version of Sonya Deville that fans got to see up close and personal. She first showed up on the reality series Total Divas during season 8 before getting a main cast role in the season 9. Fans appreciated this because it gave a look into the personal life of Deville and her accomplishments. A lot of it centered on Deville being a representative of the LGBTQ+ community, her romantic life, and having a storyline that she was excited about getting canceled. All in all, Deville seems like an awesome person, so this was great to see and be represented.
3. Singles Run
Following her association with Dolph Ziggler, Sonya Deville officially broke out on her own and started coming into her own character. She cut a scathing promo on Mandy Rose, saying that Fire and Desire was always built around Rose and how upset that made her. It was Deville’s time to shine, and she ran with it. As a solo villain, Deville was a highlight of every show. She attacked Rose backstage, cut great promos on a weekly basis, and looked more confident in the ring than ever before. Deville capped it off with a very good match against Rose at Summer Slam 2020. There’s no telling where this could’ve taken her had she not had to step away from the ring due to personal reasons.
2. Fire and Desire
Paige’s career-ending injury cut short Absolution, leaving fans wondering how far it could have gone and how these women’s careers would have been. Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose formed Fire and Desire after her injury. This was certainly the longest period for Deville’s career thus far.
She and Rose nearly won the first Women’s Tag Team Elimination Chamber. Her run lasted from 2018 to 2020. They had great chemistry and started Damandyz donuts because of their friendship.
1. Authority Figure
In the summer of 2020, Deville’s life was rocked when a man was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after he broke into her home. He was planning on kidnapping and harming her. Following the incident, Deville took time away from the ring and didn’t return to television until the first episode of Smackdown in 2021.
Fans were unsure of what they’d get from her, but Deville has stayed away from the ring. She instead entered into a role as an assistant to on-screen authority figure Adam Pearce. Deville has booked matches, handled the issues of some wrestlers, and looked incredibly sharp the entire time. Unlike many authority figures, she has been pretty fair so far until she was relieved of her duties by Adam Pearce and transitioned back into a WWE superstar.
Comments