Over the last several months Sonya Deville has slowly but steadily been getting more microphone time. There's a good reason for that — she cuts an insanely good promo. It seems nearly every opportunity she gets with a microphone in her hand, she leaves the WWE Universe buzzing.
Earlier this year, Deville said that she had to practically beg Vince McMahon to give her just one opportunity to talk on the mic and she's apparently come a long way since then. Sportskeeda had an opportunity to speak with Sonya Deville this week, and the "Pride Fighter" revealed that she's now earned the trust of the WWE creative team. Now, it turns out she has a lot of say when it comes to her promos.
"To be honest, I get a lot of freedom. I'm blessed that... you know, I think it's one of those things where once you prove yourself and they know that you can talk, uh, who knows your character and your thoughts better than yourself? I've had really cool creative liberties to work with the writers and come up with some cool stuff and kind of say what I'm feeling the last few months."
Sonya Deville is currently embroiled in one of the hottest feuds on Friday Night SmackDown, a bitter rivalry with her former best friend and tag team partner Mandy Rose that dates back prior to WrestleMania 36. It's a simple story built on jealousy and frustration, but it's been told masterfully over the last few months.
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The Fire and Desire saga is a prime example of the great long-term storytelling that WWE is capable of, but hasn't been as successful at in recent years. This time around though, the company has nailed it. Despite Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose being at each other's throats for months, the audience remains invested.
That's due in large part to their story arc being perfectly woven with the rise of Otis and his affection for his beloved "Peach," Mandy Rose. However, it's also due to the rise of Sonya Deville, who after years of waiting, finally finds herself standing on her own two feet.
Sonya Deville is finally getting a chance to prove herself
Ever since making her main roster debut in 2017, Sonya Deville has always had someone by her side. Whether it was as a member of Absolution or Fire and Desire, Deville has always had to share the spotlight with someone else. That is not the case anymore. It's all about Sonya Deville.
Deville is channeling her real-life frustrations of being stuck in the shadows for too long, and is carrying that into her onscreen character. The fans may not be there in person to soak in her words, but Sonya Deville told Sportskeeda that she knows there is a connection being made with the audience.
"I feel like fans love it when they can feel the [genuineness] and the realness in someone's character or persona ... that's everything that I say, everything that I do, it comes from a real part of me. And it really is me. So I feel like fans are feeling that and they're finally seeing what I, I've always known I'm capable of."
Sonya Deville has been getting rave reviews for her work over the last few months, from fans and critics alike. However, she realizes not everyone thinks and feels the same way. That's just fine with her. There are no blurred lines here. Sonya Deville is neither a babyface nor a heel. She is simply Sonya Deville — whether you're a fan of hers or not.
"At the end of the day, I'm going to go out there every single week. I'm going to be who I am. I'm going to do me. You can love me. You can hate me. I really don't care. All I care about is if you're invested. And I can say that every single week that I've gone out there over the last six months, they've been invested and they've been listening. So, that's all I could ask for."
You can hear Sonya Deville's entire interview with Sportskeeda in the video above. Make sure to subscribe to Sportskeeda Wrestling's YouTube Channel for more exclusive interviews, videos and a whole lot more.