Subhojeet Mukherjee on October 23, 2025
Sonya Deville’s in-ring confidence masks a heart that’s been quietly building something much deeper outside the squared circle.
On the Rule Breakers with Saraya podcast, the former WWE star opened up about her relationship with partner Toni, and how their romance began with a simple Instagram message that ended up changing both their lives.
Before their first exchange, the pair had followed each other online for years. Sonya noticed that Toni always seemed to be the first to engage with her social media posts, something she found endearing—if not a little suspicious in hindsight.
“Toni: So what she really wants to tell you is that I slid into her DMs.”
“Sonya Deville: Which is true.”
“Toni: But what she doesn’t want to say is that we’d been following each other for years. She was always the first to watch my stories, the first to like my posts. So really, she gave the invitation.”
Sonya wasn’t sure what to make of it at first. She thought Toni might be in a relationship and wasn’t convinced it was anything serious. Still, something compelled her to invite Toni to the upcoming WWE SmackDown show in New York. She got her a front-row ticket—though she admits, it felt like a bit of a gamble.
“Sonya: You took it and ran with it. You were like, ‘That’s mine.’”
“Toni: Literally, all I said was ‘Hey.’ That’s it. Just a simple ‘Hey.’ And that’s all it took.”
“Sonya: And I thought she was in a relationship! So I was like, ‘What’s this girl trying to do?’”
The next day, nerves kicked in. Sonya was worried she might be getting catfished, unsure if the beautiful woman she’d seen in photos would actually show up. She asked WWE makeup artist Megan to scope things out in the audience before her match.
“So I sent Megan — you know, the makeup artist — to check things out. I said, ‘Megan, I need a report. Go see if she’s real.’ Megan goes out, comes back, and says, ‘Dude, she’s hot. She’s in the front row making friends. You’re done for.’”
With her heart pounding, Sonya stepped into the ring for a dark main event against Bianca Belair. She spotted Toni in the front row and decided to make a subtle move that ended up leaving a lasting impact.
“Then she’s in the ring, has Bianca in a hold, and she looks over at me and winks.”
That wink became more than just a sweet moment—it evolved into a secret ritual that made its way onto WWE television for years.
“Yeah, I actually winked at her! Later she told me, ‘That was so cute,’ so I made it part of my entrance. For the next two years — until I got released — I’d go to the hard cam, lean on the ropes, and wink at the camera. That wink was for her. No one ever knew.”
From a DM to a front-row wink and eventually a real relationship built on mutual respect and care, Sonya Deville and Toni’s love story is the kind fans rarely get to see in wrestling. It’s real, raw, and started with just one word—”hey.”
What did you think of Sonya and Toni’s love story? Can you relate to how it all started online? Let us know in the comments below.
October 23, 2025 2:25 pm
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