A former WWE Tag Team Champion broke kayfabe and shared the story behind their decision to leave the legendary promotion—and whether a comeback could be in the cards.
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Daria Berenato (a.k.a. Sonya Deville) recently joined Insight with Chris Van Vliet to discuss her WWE exit after the company opted not to renew her contract. She’s not dwelling on the why—just chalking it up to her career being in a “rut” and deciding it was time for a fresh start.
“I felt a little like I needed a change of pace, and I didn’t know what it was. I never would have left on my own merit. But I felt a little bit like I was in a loop, kind of in purgatory, like I wanted an opportunity,” the 31-year-old admitted.
She continued: “I got the title with Chelsea (Green) finally, then the injury, got back from the injury, was finally getting my footing again in the ring after coming back from the ACL [tear], and then I got released. So it’s hard to look back and regret any of it, though, because I really feel like everything happens for a reason.”
The wrestler formerly known as Sonya Deville admits she still hasn’t fully processed her WWE release—but don’t expect her to be sitting around sulking. While it feels odd to no longer call herself a WWE wrestler, she’s made peace with hanging up her boots… at least for now.
The WWE Fan Favorite Admits Leaving the Promotion is “Like an Open Wound”
So, are Daria Berenato’s days as Sonya Deville officially over?
“Definitely for now. Never say never. But right now I feel at peace with that,” she explained. “I’m not gonna 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, it was my only home from 21 years old to 31. I’m a ride or die type of person in general. So it’s weird to even think about doing that, but not there.”
Sonya Deville joined WWE in 2015, rising to prominence as one of the thirteen finalists on the sixth season of Tough Enough. Later that year, she officially signed with WWE and made her debut in NXT under the “Sonya Deville” moniker.
During her WWE career, Deville won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship with Chelsea Green and served as an assistant to General Manager Adam Pearce.
Meanwhile, back in May, the former professional wrestler joined the commentary team for Invicta Fighting Championships during the Invicta FC 62 event.