As a product of NXT reality show “Tough Enough” and a WWE main roster performer since 2017, Sonya Deville is hip to the pro-wrestling business. The former mixed martial artist knows that the bigger she and real-life best friend Mandy Rose get as tag team Fire & Desire, the closer they creep to (storyline) breaking up and feuding with one another.
Deville, whose real name is Daria Berenato, just doesn’t want that to happen “anytime soon,” she told TheWrap on Tuesday.
“In terms of breaking up right now, I don’t see it happening anytime soon — and I don’t want it to happen anytime soon, because it’s not time for that,” Berenato said. “I think we’re just getting some real momentum as a tag team and we still compete as singles competitors.”
“We have a really cool chemistry going on right now,” she continued. “We’re just starting to get in our groove, so I would hate to see it ending prematurely. I see us — at least in my opinion — staying together for a while.”
Then again, the two never foresaw themselves being a tag team in the first place. Before their WWE call-up as part of wrestler-turned-manager Paige’s short-lived faction Absolution, Deville and Rose would fantasize about wrestling each other as singles competitors, Berenato said.
After all, at the time, WWE did not even have Women’s Tag Team Championship belts. It does now, and Fire & Desire should be in line soon for a title shot.
For now, the silver lining to not having the gold around their waists lies in what Berenato calls the “realness” of the friendship she shares with Rose, whom she met on “Tough Enough” and subsequently lived with.
“We are truly like sisters,” Berenato said. “Mandy and I stand alone as that one true bond and friendship in the WWE that hasn’t been ruined yet from the business. You see Sasha (Banks) and Bayley, they had a great run, but something always gets in the way. I feel like that’s not the case with Mandy and I because there’s a lot of realness behind our relationship and that’s why the fans buy into it.”
But don’t take our word for it — or hers. Tune in to “SmackDown Live” tonight starting at 8/7c on USA Network, where you’ll see the “Desire” of “Fire & Desire,” Rose, in Deville’s corner for “Fire’s” one-on-one match against Ember Moon.
Every WWE Champion Ever, Ranked by Number of Reigns (Photos)
Pro-wrestling championship belts change hands like grapplers change ring gear these days, though it wasn't always that way. Big E is the current WWE Champion after cashing in his "Money in the Bank" contract on "Raw," ripping the belt off Bobby Lashley's impossibly small waist (given the size of the rest of his upper body).
This is Big E's first-ever stint as WWE Champion, those he's had plenty of other titles in WWE -- mostly as part of tag-team faction The New Day.
Scroll through our gallery to see every WWE Champion ever, ranked by their number(s) of title wins. Remember: this is a list of those who won the WWWF Championship, the WWF Championship or the WWE Championship. So don't come after us, Universal Champions, et al.
WWE
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Kofi Kingston # of Reigns: 1
The power of positivity.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Jeff Hardy # of Reigns: 1
The un-"Broken" half of the Hardy Boyz has had the more storied singles career.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Bray Wyatt # of Reigns: 1
The Fiend used to go by "Husky Harris" -- we'd say this run is working out better for him.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Sgt. Slaughter # of Reigns: 1
Camel Clutch, Cobra Clutch -- whatever "C"-animal it was, it hurt.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Dean Ambrose # of Reigns: 1
And "The Lunatic Fringe" pulled this off while wearing jeans.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Chris Jericho # of Reigns: 1
You're a "stupid idiot" if you didn't know this guy made "The List."
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Eddie Guerrero # of Reigns: 1
Generally considered one of the best ever to have done it held the big-boy belt for 133 days.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Jinder Mahal # of Reigns: 1
The "Modern-Day Maharaja" dropped the title to A.J. Styles.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: John "Bradshaw" Layfield # of Reigns: 1
JBL has taken his heel persona from the ring to the announce table. Never without a cowboy hat, Layfield thankfully leaves his lariat clothesline at home.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: The Ultimate Warrior # of Reigns: 1
The muscle-bound maniac who handed Hulk Hogan his first-ever "WrestleMania" loss died after suffering a heart attack three days after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: "Superstar" Billy Graham # of Reigns: 1
"Superstar" Billy Graham was a bodybuilder and buddy of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yeah, blame Graham's body for Jinder Mahal's run.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Kevin Nash # of Reigns: 1
You mean Tarzan from "Magic Mike"?!?!? Yes, yes we do.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Pedro Morales # of Reigns: 1
History lesson: Back in the WWWF days, Morales became the first guy in wrestling history to win all three of the major men's titles -- the WWF Championship, the Intercontinental Championship and the WWF Tag Team Championship -- in the company.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: André the Giant # of Reigns: 1
The tales about André the Giant sometimes feel as tall as he was.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: The Iron Sheik # of Reigns: 1
This guy is as big a hit on Twitter as he was in the ring.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Kane # of Reigns: 1
You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but Kane, now mayor of Knox County in Tennessee, is one of the smartest Superstars in WWE history.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Rey Mysterio # of Reigns: 1
We're not going to talk about how ridiculous the setup to his finishing move, "The 6-1-9," became. This is a happy list.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Stan Stasiak # of Reigns: 1
Unfortunately Stasiak only held the belt for nine days.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Rob Van Dam # of Reigns: 1
One of the most popular ECW wrestlers of all-time, RVD has brought his three initials to seemingly every pro-wrestling promotion with three initials.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Ivan Koloff # of Reigns: 1
The "Russian Bear" was actually Canadian.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Buddy Rogers # of Reigns: 1
Rogers was kinda-sorta the first champion in the company. It's complicated -- ask Killer Kowalski and Bruno Sammartino.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Vince McMahon # of Reigns: 1
Hell, Mr. McMahon runs the damn company -- of course he made this list.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Bobby Lashley # of Reigns: 1
Lashley just looks like the guy who should be champion.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Big E # of Reigns: 1
Big E has had a big career -- both as a singles performer and a member of The New Day.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: The Miz # of Reigns: 2
The kid from "The Real World" made good on his over-the-top MTV promos. One of the best on the mic, Miz has been holding down the Intercontinental Championship more than any other Superstar of the past few years.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Drew McIntyre # of Reigns: 2
Scottish Psychopath joined the WWE Champions' and two-timers club all in 2020.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Batista # of Reigns: 2
Guardian of the Galaxy, defender of WWE Championship.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: The Big Show # of Reigns: 2
You can't miss this two-time champ -- not even in a mega-arena.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: A.J. Styles # of Reigns: 2
"The Phenomenal One" held the belt for 371-straight days, which is a record for a "SmackDown" wrestler.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Alberto Del Rio # of Reigns: 2
Si! Si! Si! Si! Si! Si! Si!
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Sycho Sid # of Reigns: 2
It was a long way down from Shawn Michaels' former bodyguard's power-bomb.
If you haven't watched ESPN's "30 for 30: Nature Boy," do that. Oh, and look up Flair's ridiculous NWA runs too.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Sheamus # of Reigns: 2
Master of the Brogue Kick, Rocksteady in the "Ninja Turtles" movies -- which is the greater accomplishment?
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Seth Rollins # of Reigns: 2
He's BURN(ed) IT DOWN more than once.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Yokozuna # of Reigns: 2
That belt needed a few extenders to fit around the sumo.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: CM Punk # of Reigns: 2
Let's just say he was a little less successful in the UFC -- but maybe an AEW run?
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Randy "Macho Man" Savage # of Reigns: 2
Before he snapped into Slim Jims, the "Macho Man" was snapping dudes in half.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Bob Backlund # of Reigns: 2
Backlund couldn't "Make Darren Young Great Again" -- or even keep the guy employed -- but the master of the cross-face chicken wing had a pretty incredible career of his own.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Bruno Sammartino # of Reigns: 2
Google him, kids.
Rank: 13 (tie) Wrestler: Mankind # of Reigns: 3
Mick Foley nearly killed himself to raise these titles.
Rank: 13 (tie) Wrestler: Roman Reigns # of Reigns: 3
The Head of the Table may make the top of this list when all is said and done.
Rank: 13 (tie) Wrestler: Shawn Michaels # of Reigns: 3
Before he found God, the "Heartbreak Kid" found jaws with his foot, popularizing the Superkick.
Rank: 9 (tie) Wrestler: Daniel Bryan # of Reigns: 4
Fellow fan-favorite Superstar is now in AEW with CM Punk.
Rank: 9 (tie) Wrestler: Edge # of Reigns: 4
On this day, you can see clearly... that Edge is one of the best to ever lace up.
Rank: 9 (tie) Wrestler: The Undertaker # of Reigns: 4
The Dead Man is truly a living legend.
Rank: 9 (tie) Wrestler: Kurt Angle # of Reigns: 4
Top 10, it's true -- it's damn true.
Rank: 7 (tie) Wrestler: Brock Lesnar # of Reigns: 5
The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.
Rank: 5 (tie) Wrestler: Hulk Hogan # of Reigns: 6
Hulkamania was real. Then again, so was Gawker at one point.
Rank: 5 (tie) Wrestler: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin # of Reigns: 6
On the Mt. Rushmore of all-time greats, and that's the bottom line.
Rank: 3 (tie) Wrestler: The Rock # of Reigns: 8
He may be Dwayne Johnson now, but he'll always be "The Rock" to us.
Rank: 3 (tie) Wrestler: Triple H # of Reigns: 8
Boss of The Authority and former DX member has two words for the other guys on this list. We can't reprint them.
Rank: 2 Wrestler: Randy Orton # of Reigns: 10
The Viper has RKO'd a lot of dudes outta nowhere.
Rank: 1 Wrestler: John Cena # of Reigns: 13
U Can't See Him.
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From Buddy Rogers to Big E, here are all the guys from the old WWWF and WWF days — and beyond
Pro-wrestling championship belts change hands like grapplers change ring gear these days, though it wasn't always that way. Big E is the current WWE Champion after cashing in his "Money in the Bank" contract on "Raw," ripping the belt off Bobby Lashley's impossibly small waist (given the size of the rest of his upper body).
This is Big E's first-ever stint as WWE Champion, those he's had plenty of other titles in WWE -- mostly as part of tag-team faction The New Day.
Scroll through our gallery to see every WWE Champion ever, ranked by their number(s) of title wins. Remember: this is a list of those who won the WWWF Championship, the WWF Championship or the WWE Championship. So don't come after us, Universal Champions, et al.
