Sonya Deville Reveals New Details About 2020 Kidnapping Attempt

One of WWE’s most shocking stories is finally coming to an end.

In 2020, the WWE Universe was stunned as they learned that Superstar Sonya Deville was the victim of a kidnapping attempt at the hands of an obsessed fan. This unsettling event resulted in Sonya taking an extended absence from the ring.

Earlier in 2023, USA Insider reported that the stalker responsible for the attempted kidnapping, whose name we won’t dignify, was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison, seemingly giving Deville the much-needed closure she needed after such a life-changing and harrowing ordeal. Since her return to active competition in 2021, she has shown the WWE Universe why she’s one of the most talented competitors on the roster. In addition, she’s recently made headlines as a tag team alongside Chelsea Green.

RELATED: WWE Superstar Sonya Deville Announces Engagement To ‘Her Dream Person’

While we have to imagine, despite their recent setbacks on Monday Night RAW, Sonya and Chelsea will soon find themselves in a position to challenge for the WWE Women’s tag team titles! In the meantime, the Superstar is finally speaking out about what happened.

Sonya Deville Opens Up About Her Trauma in 2020

Sonya Deville on the red carpet of ‘A Night Of Pride’ with GLAAD.

Sonya Deville attends ‘A Night Of Pride’ with GLAAD. Photo: Getty Images

As it turns out, Sonya feels far enough removed from the situation to speak candidly, giving fans new details about the attempted kidnapping. Speaking with WWE superfan and Hollywood A-lister Maria Menounos on Maria’s podcast Heal Squad, Sonya opened up about what was going through her mind the night of the incident.

“There are just so many layers to it,” Sonya confessed. “First, of course, it’s fight or flight, and you’re just in the situation, and you deal with the situation. And that night after the incident, I thought I was going to go back to the house and sleep there because I was stubborn, and I was in shock, and I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know left from right at that point.”

Story continues

Immediately after the attempted kidnapping, Sonya and ex-WWE Superstar Mandy Rose, who was staying with her at the time, quickly checked into a nearby hotel. Sonya later figured out she was still processing what was happening.

“Then, the sun goes down, and I’m uncontrollably shaking, and I’m in a hotel room under an alias name because I’m so paranoid that even though he’s arrested, he’s somehow going to find me, and I have the dresser pushed up against the door,” she recalled. “I made Mandy slide the dresser in front of the door on the fifteenth floor of this high rise, and paranoia started to set in. I was in full-blown fight-or-flight mode. I was living in fight-or-flight mode for months, maybe years.”

Shockingly, Sonya revealed that her anxiety got so bad that she began living in a safe house that was protected around the clock with armed security. However, even then, she didn’t feel completely safe and secure.

“No one knows this either, I went and lived in a safe house for a month because we didn’t know if he was going to be able to get bail,” she revealed. “It was a 24/7 armed security house. Guys with guns standing at each door, entrance of this home, in a secured location 24/7. It’s just weird. I would go work out at the local LA Fitness and he would come work out with me. That was a weird phase of my life. I didn’t know what was going on.”

Thankfully, Sonya wasn’t alone in the immediate aftermath of her trauma. Her family offered her support in immediate fashion, but even she admitted that, eventually, she needed to face her anxiety head-on.

Sonya Deville Stalker Sentenced

“My mom flew down and stayed with me for as long as she could, but then she had to go back to work,” she recalled. “My dad came down right away, of course, but then he had to go back to work. It’s this really weird thing where something so messed up happens to you but then life goes on.

She added: “So that was something that was hard for me to deal with at that time because I am such a ride-or-die [person], and I feel my emotions very hard and true. So I’m like, wait a second, I almost had all this taken away from me, and then life just goes on.”

Sonya Deville Came Out the Other Side Stronger Than Ever

Sonya Deville walks to the ring.

Photo: WWE

It’s a miracle that Sonya Deville could not only move past this traumatic experience but come out the other end of it even better. Some of life’s biggest challenges make us all better people in the future, and Sonya admitted to Maria that she is a stronger person because of the trauma she faced.

In fact, Sonya found some well-deserved happiness in the years that followed. Earlier in 2023, she announced her engagement to her “dream person,” a reveal that made the WWE Universe smile ear-to-ear. It couldn’t have happened to a better person. And the WWE Universe has seen in recent months, Sonya has stepped up her game lately on Monday Night RAW – a true testament to her evolution as a performer and as a person.

So with this traumatic experience finally behind her, Sonya Deville is ready to make waves in 2023 and beyond with the full support of her fans!

You can tune in to Peacock to watch WWE’s Money in the Bank on July 1. In the meantime, catch up on all things WWE Universe on Peacock as well.