Sonya Deville on advice from Vince McMahon, inspiration from Stephanie | ‘Out of Character’
By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst
This week on "Out of Character," Sonya Deville revealed advice she’s received from WWE’s most evil on-screen authority figure.
Subscribe to "Out of Character with Ryan Satin" on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for more candid conversations with your favorite Superstars, legends and on-air talent each week!
There’s no denying the Mr. McMahon character defines what a villainous boss looks like on WWE TV. Right now, however, the role belongs to Deville, and over the past year she’s been soaking up wisdom while sitting under his learning tree.
When asked for any specific heel wisdom he’s imparted, the 28-year-old from New Jersey detailed one recurring note that stands out most.
"He reminds me to smile a lot, ironically," she said. "Because I think he loves the demeaning attitude of when someone in my role does something more passive-aggressively and then smiles. I think he thinks that that's so much more powerful than just being like, 'You're not allowed in this match.'"
"That's a piece of advice he gave me when I kind of first started the role, that I've taken throughout, and it's really helped. If you look back at his stuff, he's just genius. When he just gives that grin, and he's doing his walk, it's just so hateable. So, he kind of gave that to me."
If this attitude sounds familiar, that’s because Vince’s daughter Stephanie McMahon's does the same thing on WWE TV. In fact, for a generation of viewers who weren’t around for the Attitude Era, it’s "The Billionaire Princess" they think of as the standard for evil authority figures.
This is something Deville is cognizant of, as she’s purposely taken inspiration from WWE’s Chief Branding Officer in the role.
"I've gotten a lot of what I do from Stephanie," Sonya explained.
"I think that is Vince's kind of vision for me, as a Stephanie-esque character. So, when I do get in the ring, it's like yeah, I get in the ring, but I get in the ring as an authority figure, and I will use my power how I see fit, and how I can, to my advantage — and I'll enjoy doing it. Because that's what Steph does, and that's what Vince did. So, I've taken a lot of notes from both of their past work, for sure."
Sonya also divulged that early in her run as co-GM, she was itching to get back in the ring. Vince convinced her otherwise, however, and recently reminded her that the wait was worth it during her program with Naomi.
"About halfway through this role, I was going to Vince [McMahon] and I was like, ‘When am I getting back in the ring?’ Just kind of pestering him, and he was like, ‘Just wait, just wait.’ Then like, a couple of weeks ago, he pulled me aside and he was like, ‘Aren't you glad you waited?’"
"That was kind of my confirmation from him, letting me know, look at how much equity and how much work we just put into this character, and now she can go anywhere and do anything from this point on. So that was kind of cool," she added.
"As a competitor and as someone who's constantly just wanting to be better, like all of us, it's hard to be in the moment and realize what you're doing being special. You always want more. So, that was kind of a cool moment where I was like, ‘Wait, he's right,’ we just put a lot of work into this character. It was very consistent and long, and you don't get that very often here."
For more with Sonya Deville, listen to this week’s "Out of Character" on podcast platforms or watch the video below.
Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1's "WWE Backstage" and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.
