WWE Raw: Sonya Deville Has Become One To Watch

Paige has taken the majority of attention when she made her return to WWE Raw, but don’t neglect the potential that stablemates Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose bring to the table. Deville, in particular, is one to watch as a future star in WWE.

There was a time when I couldn’t understand why I should care about Sonya Deville. She seemed thoroughly uninteresting, and it didn’t seem like I had a reason to invest in her. Deville carried the generic “MMA background” tag as her character, and she basically always lost. Her wins came against lower-tier NXT stars like Aliyah, Sarah Logan, and Liv Morgan.

But recently, NXT started using her in matches against higher-profile stars, and Deville actually put together an enthralling feud with Ruby Riot. The story-telling was a little low-key, given that neither had a plot built for NXT TakeOver: WarGames, but it was effective and showcased all the improvements Deville has made.

The peak of this came on an NXT taping of a Triple Threat match fought among current NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon, Riot, and Deville. This match had actual stakes, given that the winner would move on to the championship Fatal Four-Way at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.

Moon won, but she pinned Riot and not Deville. Although this may have confused some fans, the reasoning was brilliant. Deville had Riot in the “Ankle Lock”, but Riot wouldn’t submit. Because of this, an opportunistic Moon broke up the submission (before Riot would presumably tap) by hitting Deville with an Eclipse. And she pinned Riot and not Deville. I can’t emphasize this enough, because this put over Deville’s finisher in a huge way.

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After the match, we got a glimpse of Deville’s character, because she cut a scathing backstage promo on Riot. She said that Riot should have tapped and blamed her for the loss.

The back-and-forth between both characters, who mesh well together, showed that Deville can cut a convincing promo. That likely sold Vince McMahon and others that she’d be able to move up to the main roster.

In the ring, it is obvious that Deville belongs. The opening exchanges she had in her final NXT match with Riot were excellent, and her MMA-style offense actually works.

A problem some viewers have with these wrestlers who have MMA backgrounds is that their offense just seems out-of-place or isn’t smooth. Deville’s is devastating, in addition to being effective as a sequence of moves that can tell a story. She received the majority of the offense in that aforementioned Triple Threat, and it was an accurate showcase of her abilities.

Deville isn’t a name many people know, since she isn’t a star like Paige and didn’t get put over by Trish Stratus on Twitter like Mandy Rose. But Deville is a menacing bad-ass who has shown signs that she isn’t just some generic, MMA-style wrestler.

Quick, strong, intimidating, and possessing a devastating offense that doesn’t need to be a catalogue of moves, Deville has all the tools. This stable with Paige could help her flesh out her character even further, and that makes her a superstar to keep a close eye on. She could become a star on WWE Raw if she’s able to make the most of this opportunity, because she’s already been a fast-learner and is quietly on the rise.

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There’s just something unique about her in comparison to the other wrestlers on the roster. Deville is pretty green and hasn’t wrestled many actual matches in NXT, but her strikes and submissions are excellent. She also played her role as an arrogant, remorseless heel perfectly in her big matches in NXT over the past couple of months, so here’s to hoping for more positive momentum ahead from Deville.

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