Daria Rae Berenato
(born September 24, 1993) is an American
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
and
mixed martial artist
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...
. She is currently signed to
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
where she performs on the
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
under the
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
Sonya Deville. She is also a former on-screen authority figure alongside
Adam Pearce
Adam John Pearce (born June 24, 1978) is an American professional wrestling executive and former professional wrestler. He is currently employed by WWE as Director of Live Events, producer, trainer, coach, and on-screen authority figure. He is ...
.
Deville rose to prominence as a contestant in the 2015 season of ''
WWE Tough Enough
''WWE Tough Enough'' was an American professional wrestling reality competition series that was produced by WWE, wherein participants undergo professional wrestling training and compete for a contract with WWE. There were two winners per season ...
'', where she finished in eleventh place. Following her elimination, she signed a contract with WWE and was sent to the
WWE Performance Center
The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The promotion currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE wre ...
in
Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
. She then performed in WWE's developmental territory at the time,
NXT
NXT may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010
** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory
* ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
, before moving up to the main roster. She was assigned to the Raw brand in November 2017 in a team with
Mandy Rose
Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose.
Rose began ...
and
Paige called Absolution. Deville and Rose were later
drafted to SmackDown and became
Fire and Desire
Fire and Desire was an American professional wrestling tag team in WWE, consisting of Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. The team was formed in 2017 on the Raw brand as a trio called Absolution, which consisted of Paige, Rose and Deville with the l ...
before eventually splitting. After taking time off in mid-2020, she returned in January 2021 in a non-wrestling role as an on-screen authority figure.
In mixed martial arts, she has competed in three fights, holding a record of 2–1.
Early life
Berenato was born in
Shamong Township, New Jersey
Shamong Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 6,460, a decline of 30 (-0.5%) from the 2010 census count of 6,490, which in turn reflecte ...
to
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
parents. She attended
Seneca High School in
Tabernacle, New Jersey
Tabernacle Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 6,776, a decrease of 173 (−2.5%) from the 2010 census count of 6,949, which in turn ...
.
At the age of 16, Berenato began training and competing in
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
.
Professional wrestling career
WWE
''Tough Enough'' and NXT (2015–2017)
In June 2015, Berenato was one of the thirteen finalists for the
sixth season of the
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
competition ''
Tough Enough''.
She was the third competitor eliminated from the competition.
In October 2015, Berenato signed a contract with WWE,
and was assigned to their
developmental
Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitosi ...
brand
NXT
NXT may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010
** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory
* ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
to begin her training. She made her in-ring debut on December 3 during a
live event
A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...
against
Nia Jax
Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian-born American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Nia Jax from 2014 to 2021 and became a one-time Raw Women's Champion and two- ...
, which she lost. Berenato made her first televised appearance and in-ring debut under her real name on the August 17 episode of ''NXT'', where she competed in a
six-woman tag team match
Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder ma ...
along with
Mandy Rose
Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose.
Rose began ...
, and
Alexa Bliss
Alexis Cabrera (née Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was ass ...
, in which they were defeated by
Carmella
Carmella is a female given name. Notable people with the name include:
People
* Carmella DeCesare
Carmella Danielle DeCesare Garcia (born July 1, 1982) is an American model who was ''Playboy'' magazine's Miss April 2003 and Playmate of t ...
,
Liv Morgan
Gionna Jene Daddio (born June 8, 1994) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Liv Morgan. She is a former SmackDown Women's Champion.
In 20 ...
, and
Nikki Cross
Nicola Glencross (born 21 April 1989) is a Scottish professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Nikki Cross. She is a one-time WWE Raw Women's Champion, three-time WWE Women's Tag Team ...
.
Berenato returned to television on the November 23 episode of ''NXT'' in another six-woman tag team match with
The Iconic Duo (
Billie Kay
Jessica McKay (born 23 June 1989) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Billie Kay and for her time in Impact Wrestling, where she competed as Jessie McKay.
In Jun ...
and
Peyton Royce
Cassandra McIntosh (born 10 November 1992) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Peyton Royce and for her time in Impact Wrestling where she performed as Cassie Le ...
), where they lost to
Aliyah
Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...
,
Ember Moon
Adrienne Reese (born August 31, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Athena. She also appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the current ROH Wom ...
and Liv Morgan.
On the December 21 episode of ''NXT'', Berenato competed in her first televised singles match, where she was defeated by Billie Kay due to a distraction by Peyton Royce.
Berenato returned on the May 3, 2017, episode of ''NXT'' under the new ring name Sonya Deville, participating in a number one contender's battle royal for
Asuka
Asuka may refer to:
People
* Asuka (name), a list of people
* Asuka (wrestler), professional wrestler
* Asuka (wrestler, born 1998), professional wrestler also known as Veny outside of Japan
Places In Japan
* , an area in Yamato Province (now ...
's
NXT Women's Championship
The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on April 5, 2013, th ...
, where she was eliminated by
Peyton Royce
Cassandra McIntosh (born 10 November 1992) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Peyton Royce and for her time in Impact Wrestling where she performed as Cassie Le ...
and
Billie Kay
Jessica McKay (born 23 June 1989) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Billie Kay and for her time in Impact Wrestling, where she competed as Jessie McKay.
In Jun ...
. Following this, Deville began a winning streak, defeating
Lacey Evans
Macey Estrella-Kadlec (née Evans; born March 24, 1990) is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Lacey Evans.
Originally introduced to wrestling while serving as a militar ...
,
Rachel Evers,
Jenna Van Bemel,
and Zeda.
Following another short hiatus, Deville returned on the October 18 episode of ''NXT'', where she participated in a
triple threat match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
against
Ember Moon
Adrienne Reese (born August 31, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Athena. She also appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the current ROH Wom ...
and
Ruby Riott
Dori Elizabeth Prange ( ; born January 9, 1991) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to to gain an spot on the fatal_four-way_match_
Many_types_of_wrestling_matches,_sometimes_called_"concept"_or_"_gimmick_matches"_in_the__jargon_of_the_business,_are_performed_in_professional_wrestling._Some_gimmick_matches_are_more_common_than_others_and_are_often_used_to_advance_or_conclude_a_...
_for_the_vacant_NXT_Women's_Championship_at_NXT_TakeOver:_WarGames_(2017).html" ;"title="Professional wrestling match types#Basic non-elimination matches">fatal four-way match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
which Deville won. Deville then unsuccessfully challenged Ember Moon for the title on the December 27 episode of ''NXT''.