Sonya Deville opens up on Mandy Rose's iconic kiss with Otis, WWE star admits something was missing
She might not be in WWE anymore, but Mandy Rose's romantic storyline with Otis was a major part of the promotion's product during the pandemic. Sonya Deville recalled the story and admitted having no fans around made it a bittersweet experience.
The unlikely romance between Mandy Rose and Otis made them a popular act on WWE television, and Rose's former partner, Sonya Deville, turned heel in the process. Deville, who recently made her return, spoke to Chris Van Vliet and claimed that she was on the "run of a lifetime" nearly four years ago in WWE.
While Deville was in an interesting angle, she sorely missed the presence of the fans live during that phase, even though she knew they were watching from their homes during a worldwide lockdown.
"Bittersweet, but life works in such mysterious ways. I always say everything happens for a reason and I'm a firm believer in that. But it was one of those moments where I was like, wow, I think I just had the run of a lifetime. And it was in front of nobody, except the millions, of course, watching at home," said Deville. [H/T: Chris Van Vliet]
Sonya Deville recalled Mandy Rose kissing Otis and said despite that being an iconic moment, it missed the reactions of a live audience. Deville herself was a compelling villain during that time and said she was surprised to see NXT talents booing her during the closed-arena shows.
"Iconic moments like the Mandy Otis kiss, the Sonya Mandy turn, all these moments, I'm like, oh my god, the crowd reaction would be so good. And, you know, at one point, it was like 20 NXT talent in the audience. And they're booing and I'm like, This is crazy. This would be so iconic in front of in front of a crowd. But it was iconic nonetheless, to be a part of a cool story like that," admitted Sonya. [H/T: Chris Van Vliet]
Sonya Deville shares her favorite part about being a WWE Superstar
At a time when most sporting leagues stopped operating, owing to the worldwide lockdown due to the pandemic, there were no off days in the wrestling business as WWE put out shows first from the Performance Center and later from the ThunderDome.
Sonya Deville stressed that the talents could feel the fans' support via online interaction, but performing without them was not what she'd signed up for. For Deville, performing in front of a packed crowd was her most cherished aspect of pro wrestling. Without it, it was difficult for her to feel the real passion of the WWE Universe.
"There was so much interaction and love on socials and online and everything. But being a performer, being in the WWE, my favourite part is walking out there and hearing you guys. I want to hear the audience whether you're booing me out of the building, whether you're cheering, whatever it is, I just want to hear and feel the passion from that," said Deville. [H/T: Chris Van Vliet]
Sonya is back in WWE after a lengthy injury layoff, and it seems like the Stamford-based promotion could be working on a storyline where she is involved with Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark.