Charlotte Flair vs. Sonya Deville Will Be Great, But Becky Lynch Is The X-Factor

Sonya Deville is one of WWE’s most underrated wrestlers, and she had a tremendous opportunity to make some noise against Charlotte Flair this week on WWE SmackDown. However, there’s a chance Becky Lynch will lurk in the background to steal the show with another attack on Charlotte.

There are a handful of legitimately great rivalries heading into WWE’s Hell in a Cell Pay Per View next week, but maybe none of them have as much anticipation than Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch. But the go-home show will feature Charlotte against a different opponent in Sonya Deville.

A potential rising star on the WWE main roster, Deville was one of NXT’s under-the-radar performers, steadily improving each month before finally showing her skills against Ruby Riott. Shortly after her successful feud with Riott, Deville was called up to the main roster alongside Mandy Rose, debuting in Paige’s “Absolution” stable.

Although Paige is now the GM of SmackDown Live, Absolution remains, with Rose and Deville showing great chemistry as a menacing duo. These two women are willing to cut any corner and take advantage of any opportunity to get ahead, which is why next week’s match is such a big deal for Deville.

Charlotte won the SmackDown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam by stealing a victory away from Becky Lynch at the last possible moment, via Natural Selection. That finishing move started a cascade of events leading to her upcoming title defense against Becky at Hell in a Cell, but there’s so much more to the story.

More from Daily DDT

• It’s time for Adam Cole and MJF to drop the ROH tag team titles
• Tom Lawlor talks MLW return, AEW opportunity, CM Punk’s WWE return and more
• Eddie Kingston stands to gain the most from the AEW Continental Classic
• Trish Stratus on WWE NXT would help elevate that women’s division
• Randy Orton signs with SmackDown to go after The Bloodline

Next week’s episode could add another wrinkle, because I highly doubt Becky will stay silent. She is on an absolute tear right now, driven by the rage she feels against Charlotte and the WWE for holding her back. Becky knows that the title belongs to her, and she will stop at nothing to make Flair’s life a living hell both before and during their match in San Antonio.

Deville will likely give Charlotte everything she has, so this is a huge night for the former “Tough Enough” competitor. Her grappling skills and strikes will need to be on-point to cut down the resilient Flair. I’m sure Charlotte will find a way to outlast Deville in the end, but this could be a breakout performance for Sonya, much like Ruby’s Fastlane match against Charlotte helped boost her stock on the WWE main roster.

In the end, though, Becky will likely be the one to imprint herself on this match. I could see her  beating up Charlotte in ruthless fashion after the match ends, since Charlotte will likely barely escape with a win. I could even see Becky going as far as to cost Charlotte the match outright, but it’s more likely that Charlotte will pick up a hard-fought, momentum-building win before Hell in a Cell by defeating Deville (with possible interference from Mandy Rose).

Even when the match has nothing to do with Becky, it is all about Becky. That’s how personal this feud between Charlotte and Becky is. The audience’s neck hair begins to rise whenever Charlotte seems vulnerable, because they have been conditioned to expect Becky to be the antihero, running out and yelling “Screw You” before delivering a flurry of fists directed at Charlotte’s face.

Every single feud on SmackDown Live will likely feature an entertaining segment on the go-home show before Hell in a Cell, but I’d keep a special eye out for this match between Sonya and Charlotte. I say this not only because the match itself should be very good, given the two wrestlers in the ring, but you never know what Becky has planned next.