It’s amazing how different the WWE stars look without makeup and their ring gear on isn’t it? Daria Berenato, who many fans will recognize as Sonya Deville from the WWE, has been a wrestler now for a few years, but she’s one of the many that has been active for longer than that since she’s been fighter for a while. It’s kind of interesting to think of why an honest to goodness fighter would make their way to the WWE, but the promise of a paycheck does seem to be a big draw, and the added exposure that a person can count on if they make it big is another big step up that a lot of people couldn’t possibly resist. While she’s on the main roster and definitely gets noticed every single week, providing that she’s in the current story being pushed, Daria is still something of a mid-level figure that has yet to really break into full stride, though it seems likely that it could come at any time.
Here are a few things you might not have known about Daria.
10. She was part of the sixth season of Tough Enough in 2015.
If you’ve ever watched this show then you know very well how it got the name. Even if a person is in great physical condition the nature of the show and the business is to take a person and beat the living hell out of them to make good and sure that they can handle themselves in the ring and take the continued punishment that comes day in and night out on the circuit.
9. Her in-ring debut was with Nia Jax.
A lot of people don’t really care to be in the ring with people that are so much bigger since there’s a bigger propensity of bigger folks hitting harder and not being quite as nimble as they need to be. But thankfully Nia has apparently been a professional and while Daria did lose this match she was able to walk away.
8. She didn’t ally with Mandy Rose until 2017.
The writers and the story lines that are created tend to come in waves and touch upon every wrestler at some point depending on how their career is going, whether they’ve impressed the people in charge, and so on.
7. Daria is the first openly lesbian wrestler in WWE.
There have always been rumors about who’s gay in the WWE but if there’s any doubt about their fellow wrestlers or what kind of sexual orientation they favor most stars keep it on the down low and just do the job, choosing to entertain the people instead of focusing on matters that aren’t important in the ring. Daria is thankfully just as professional as anyone in the ring.
6. Her following on social media is pretty impressive.
She does have quite a few followers and it’s been seen that she’s become an important figure to the LGBTQ+ community as well so it’s fair to say that once she came out her popularity took a big bump.
5. She does know how to fight as she is trained in MMA.
This is one thing a lot of people might wonder about people in the WWE, since a few of them are well-trained fighters that know how to hurt people if they so desire. The question is whether or not they lose control at times and really strike someone or apply a hold that might actually put their fellow wrestler in danger. The best answer is that they train continuously to make sure that accidents like this DON’T happen.
4. Daria took part in the first ever Women’s Elimination Chamber match.
This was a big thing since despite the fact that the show is staged this is still a big deal considering that the match can get pretty brutal and for a long time women weren’t allowed to wrestle in these matches. Things are changing though, and women are getting a lot more equality when it comes to the ring.
3. Along with Mandy Rose and Paige she helped form the group Absolution.
This group didn’t seem to last all that long since eventually Paige became the GM of Smackdown, at which time she reminded Daria and Mandy that Absolution was done with and that they wouldn’t be given any special treatment.
2. She did feel like an outsider at one time.
Much like Paige she felt kind of out of place since the other women were all glitz and glam to her way of thinking and she was the MMA chick stepping into the ring to show what she could do.
1. Daria came out in front of a live audience and her fellow wrestlers.
It was an accident really when she was asked if she had a significant other. As Gary Stonehouse wrote in the New York Post she even came out to Triple H, who just grinned as she suddenly realized her mistake.
Since her induction into the WWE she’s been here and there during the show, but with the rise of the women’s division she could easily keep climbing higher.
Follow Us
