Former WWE Superstar Sonya Deville has revealed a shocking backstage altercation between Mandy Rose and Liv Morgan during their time at the WWE Performance Center, while also criticizing the facility’s training methods. Speaking on CJ Perry’s “Identity Crisis” podcast, Deville detailed how a routine promo class exercise turned into a legitimate physical confrontation.
The incident occurred during a “pull-apart promo” drill, a standard training exercise where wrestlers practice physical confrontations. According to Deville, what began as a worked drill quickly escalated into reality.
“I’m feeling like wind like whiz past my ear and I’m like, yo, they’re really throwing,” Deville recalled. “And then I hear one of them say, ‘What, bitch?’ And then I’m like, ‘Wait, real.'”
The situation intensified as both women began legitimately fighting.
“You could feel the intensity in someone’s body when they’re no longer working,” Deville explained. “Mandy had Gianna’s hair. Gianna had Mandy’s hair. And they’re screaming at each other and they’re swinging for the fences.”
Deville also criticized the Performance Center’s approach to promo training, suggesting inadequate instruction may contribute to tensions.
“My biggest issue with the Performance Center and their promo classes is that there’s no real acting teachers,” she stated, questioning whether instructors had actual acting experience or proper teaching credentials.
This revelation comes as all three women have taken different paths since their WWE developmental days. Morgan currently recovers from a shoulder injury sustained in June, Rose was released from WWE in December 2022, and Deville’s WWE contract ended in February 2025.