Tag: daria berenato

Former Sonya Deville reveals how TNA debut came together, whether she’ll wrestle

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daria Berenato (the former Sonya Deville) had good timing when reaching out to TNA Wrestling about joining the company.

Now known as Daria Rae, Berenato arrived in TNA last week as a new on-screen authority figure. Her debut took place on the company’s AMC premiere — and Berenato revealed in a new interview with Denise Salcedo that she actually reached out to TNA right before news of the AMC deal broke. She viewed the serendipitous timing as a sign that she was making the right decision by returning to the pro wrestling industry.

Berenato departed WWE in February 2025 when her contract with the company was not renewed. She explained to Salcedo that her first contact with TNA actually came shortly after her WWE departure, but she wasn’t ready to get back into wrestling at that time.

“I took a much-needed break, and then as we rounded the end of the year, I just had an epiphany,” she said. “I looked at my wife and I was like, ‘Babe, I think I want to go back to wrestling in some capacity.’ And she was like, ‘Yeah, I think you should.’ So that was kind of it. I had been talking to TNA kind of from the moment I left [WWE]. Because TNA is owned by the same company that Invicta FC the MMA company is owned by — Anthem Sports. So I had met [TNA President] Carlos [Silva] at an Invicta event. We had talked back then, and I just wasn’t ready then. And then I was. So I reached out and I was like, ‘Let’s do this.’ And it happened to be the day before they were going to announce the AMC TV deal.”

Aside from her wife, Berenato did not tell anyone about her TNA debut in advance. She received supportive messages from Natalya, Liv Morgan, CJ Perry (Lana), and Bianca Belair after popping up on Impact.

Berenato said she’s very passionate about her TNA character and is having so much fun putting it together. Working alongside Santino Marella was one thing that drew her to TNA, with Berenato thinking they could have a really fun dynamic as opposing authority figures.

It remains to be seen whether Berenato will ever wrestle again. When asked if we could see her without a suit in TNA, Berenato did not close the door on competing.

“Well, I don’t know. I really like wearing suits,” she told Salcedo. “But if you were to ask me a year ago if you would ever see me in heels, I would have told you no. So anything can happen, I’ll leave you at that.”

Former WWE wrestler Sonya Deville books new movie role

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daria Berenato — formerly known as Sonya Deville in WWE — has booked a new movie role with filming set to begin soon.

It was announced via Deadline today that Berenato is part of the cast for an upcoming horror-comedy film titled “Zombois.” The film is also set to star Tuc Watkins, Thomas Dekker, Brenna D’Amico, Adam Huss, and Aaron Goldenberg. Production begins in Atlanta this month.

The film is from director Garrett Abdo, who described it as something “fun and outrageous” with gay zombies. It’s Abdo’s second feature film following the 2025 picture “Exit Interviews.”

“The feature centers on a group of college seniors on break in the North Georgia Mountains who discover a guarded secret and a contagion that turns their getaway into a brutal battle for survival,” Deadline wrote about “Zombois.”

Berenato departed WWE this February when she was informed that her contract was not being renewed. She was “shocked” by the decision given that she had been in negotiations for a new WWE deal, but Berenato said she believes this was the universe guiding her toward where she is supposed to be in life. Acting was her childhood dream, so no longer being with WWE gives her more time to pursue that.

Since her WWE departure, Berenato has not wrestled anywhere else. She co-hosts the podcast Daria & Toni Unwrapped with her wife Toni Cassano.

Former Sonya Deville was ‘so loyal’ to WWE, feels weird to think about wrestling elsewhere

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Because she was so loyal to WWE, the former Sonya Deville feels like it would be weird to wrestle anywhere else.

Daria Berenato revealed this February that she was departing WWE with the promotion opting not to renew her contract. She had been in negotiations for a new deal and was shocked to find out that her contract wasn’t being renewed, but Berenato feels like everything happens for a reason and has nothing but positive memories about her time with WWE.

On a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Berenato addressed whether she’s retired from wrestling now. She thinks wrestling retirements are cliche, but she’s at peace with not wrestling at the moment.

“Definitely for now. Never say never. But like, right now I feel at peace with that,” Berenato said. “I’m not going to lie, and I haven’t said this, but it almost is like an open wound, and if I think about wrestling somewhere else, it’s like — I was so loyal to the company. Like you said, it was my only home from 21 years old to 31. I’m like a ride-or-die type of person in general. So, like, it’s weird to even think about doing that, but not there.”

Though Berenato doesn’t know exactly what the future holds for her, she feels like she’s on the right path in life. She considers herself an entrepreneur and an actress right now. Acting has always been her dream, and she gets to give that more attention now that she’s no longer with WWE. One of the roles she’s filmed is a Christmas movie called “The Heart Brake” that also features wrestling legend Mick Foley.

Acting feels like the correct path for Berenato, but she’s also not closing the door on competing in MMA again. She has a great relationship with women’s promotion Invicta FC and has done commentary for them. Berenato has also started a new podcast with her wife Toni Cassano called “Daria & Toni Unwrapped.”

The last wrestling match Berenato had took place on an episode of WWE Main Event in February prior to her departure.

WWE’s Sonya Deville was ‘living in fight or flight mode’ after attempted kidnapping

Posted on by Josh Nason

In a new interview, WWE wrestler Sonya Deville opened up about her mental well-being and recovery following a 2020 attempted kidnapping at her home.

Talking on Maria Menounos’ podcast, Deville (Daria Berenato) said she is still dealing with trauma from the August 2020 incident where Phillip Thomas broke into her home with a knife, zip ties, and duct tape following threatening messages on social media.

He was sentenced to 15 years in jail and 15 years of probation after the judge accepted a plea agreement in which Thomas pleaded guilty to the charges, which include attempted kidnapping, aggravated stalking, and armed burglary.

“That night after the incident, I thought I was gonna go back into 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, and 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 gonna find me, and I have the dresser pushed up against the door.”

She later said the full effect of the incident didn’t hit her initially and she was “living in fight or flight mode for months, maybe years.” She talked to her father at one point about building a home with a moat, 24/7 security and five guard dogs.

In March of this year, she was arrested on a firearm charge in New Jersey after a gun was found in her glove box by a valet. She began carrying a gun following the incident and it was registered in Florida.

After taking time off after SummerSlam 2020, she returned to WWE in January 2021 as an authority figure before eventually returning to the ring.

Sonya Deville: ‘Thankfully everyone is safe’ after kidnapping attempt

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Daria Berenato, better known as Sonya Deville, has released a statement in response to a kidnapping attempt that took place at her house.

Deville tweeted: “Thank you everyone for your love and concern. A very frightening experience but thankfully everyone is safe. A special thank you to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for their response and assistance.”

The Tampa Bay Times reported Sunday that Deville was the victim of a social media stalker who had plotted to kidnap her for eight months. According to the report, the alleged stalker broke into Deville’s Lutz, FL home in the early hours of Sunday morning, triggering a security alarm. 

Deville and a guest safely fled the scene and contacted law enforcement. When police arrived at Deville’s home, they found the alleged stalker carrying a knife, zip ties, duct tape, mace and other items. 

The alleged stalker was arrested and is being held without bail on charges of aggravated stalking, armed burglary of a dwelling, attempted armed kidnapping and criminal mischief.