9 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jan 15)

4. Sonya's Inconsistencies

Sonya Deville Mandy Rose
WWE

Sonya Deville had a weird night. First, her planned one-on-one clash with Carmella was pulled from the show entirely, denying her the chance to showcase her growing in-ring skills against another of the brand's biggest improvers. This was a shame, but her brief backstage segment with Mandy Rose was worse, particularly for her character.

Last week, Deville was more than happy to cooperate in a two-on-one beatdown of Naomi, showing no signs of remorse as she and Mandy battered the baited former Funkadactyl. This week, all of a sudden, she's freaking out backstage. Rose's best friend has gone from co-conspirator to objecting party with a click of the writers' fingers and no prior indication that she was anything other than totally happy with Mandy's manipulation of Naomi and Jimmy Uso. That's lazy, sloppy storytelling, and the inconsistency is disappointing.

Sonya separating from Mandy as a result of Rose's actions is a solid angle, as Deville feels like a fifth wheel in this story. WWE need to build it, though. Show the change; don't make us assume it happened overnight.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.