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A lot of us have been waiting for the clash between Otis and Dolph Ziggler at WrestleMania with bated breath. WWE has done a very commendable job when it comes to building the anticipation for this clash, especially if you consider that there is no title on the line in this particular storyline.
But this week, we saw a massive twist as an unknown individual showed us the truth behind what went wrong on Valentine's Day between Otis and Mandy Rose. Dolph Ziggler and Sonya Deville conspired to betray Mandy Rose so that he could swoop in and become her partner.
But why did Sonya Deville, who has been portrayed as Mandy Rose's best friend end up betraying her in this manner in the go-home episode before WrestleMania? I shall try to answer the question with 5 points in this article for your reading pleasure.
If you have a thought or a comment, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts about the matter.
#5 To introduce a mysterious character
This was, by far, the best thing to come out of the whole storyline. We'd seen the SmackDown glitches in the past and wondered who was behind them all. Various names were bandied about and one of them was a certain Mr. Mustafa Ali.
And now it turns out that this is a character who will be revealing the truth about various 'mysteries' in WWE and bringing about a whole lot of potential storylines to fruition. I can't wait to find out how this character develops over the weeks that follow.
If it is indeed Mustafa Ali, who is revealed to be the character in charge of disclosing these secrets to the world, it will be the most interesting role he's played until now.
#4 A massive twist before WrestleMania
It is certainly going to be the most unique WrestleMania event in history. And even though John Cena cut the best promo that anyone could, to hype up the show in the best manner possible, one can't help but feel that WrestleMania 36 will not be the same kind of spectacle that previous WrestleMania events have been.
WWE needed a twist going into WrestleMania and they got that with this angle, making for a storyline that may not just end at WrestleMania but continue well beyond it as well. Will Sonya Deville and Dolph Ziggler form an alliance now to take on Mandy Rose and Otis once WrestleMania is finally done and dusted for good?
Whatever the case may be WWE is doing their best to get us intrigued and invested in a storyline that could have certainly gone the Rusev-Lashley-Lana way, but instead was a fresh departure from WWE's usual programming. Kudos to the writers for actually giving us a fantastic Beauty and The Beast style storyline that people of all ages can really connect with and appreciate.
#3 To establish Mandy Rose as a complete babyface
If you want a rundown of exactly what happened in the segment that I am talking about, be sure to check out the article linked right above written by my colleague Anirban Banerjee. So, without further ado, let's dive straight into the point I'm trying to make on this slide.
The best way to establish someone as a babyface is to establish someone else as a heel, in comparison, so that the person does not necessarily look as bad in comparison. Yes, on paper, Dolph Ziggler and Mandy Rose are a couple but this proves that the union only came about under suspicious circumstances and hence, casts a shadow over the whole relationship between the two.
And now, Otis and Mandy Rose could certainly end up together after the match has concluded and one will not judge Mandy Rose for her actions because her last boyfriend was dishonest and so was her best friend. Otis and Tucker could also use this opportunity to take the fight to Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.
#2 Lack of plans for Rose and Deville as a tag team unit
Fire & Desire was born from the ashes of Absolution, but it turns out that their shelf life was limited. They were never really given a shot to excel in the tag team division and the Women's Tag Team Championships, on the whole, are also pushed to the back of the line more often than not. And as a result, there is probably no reason to keep Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville allied on SmackDown.
No, they may, in fact, do far better if they decided to break up and work against one another, in my honest opinion. We've noticed a lot of times that tag team performers put on the best matches of their lives when they are working against one another. I mean we just have to look at Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa on NXT to know exactly what we are talking about.
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville could work with one another to elevate each other in a series of exciting matches.
#1 For Deville to finally step out of Mandy Rose's shadow
Ideally, Sonya Deville should be much like Shayna Baszler is, in my opinion at least. She should be a cold-blooded killer because of her MMA gimmick, who should be knocking opponents out one after the other.
But because she made her debut as a member of Absolution and because Mandy Rose and her are inseparable in real life as well, the two have always been paired on-screen too. But it may finally be time for her to emerge from the shadows and prove to the world at long last that she is a mean competitor in her own right as well.
I genuinely feel that Sonya Deville has a great stint in front of her as a heel if that is indeed the route WWE decides to go with her because she is believable and she has a readymade gimmick to be an absolute fighting machine.
Betraying Mandy Rose this week was the first step for Deville to step out of the shadow of her best friend and carve a path of her own.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
