Sonya Deville Says She Has Retired From Pro Wrestling

In October 2015, Daria Berenato signed a developmental contract with WWE as a 21-year-old finalist of WWE's reality wrestling competition "Tough Enough." Ten years later, Sonya Deville leaves a former champion and with the entire entertainment world in front of her.

From going through Tough Enough and NXT to "Fire & Desire" and winning gold with Chelsea Green, Deville has crafted a decade-long career many rising pro wrestlers can only hope for. And when Deville returned to WWE in 2021 following a loss in a "Loser Leaves WWE" match to Mandy Rose in 2020, she became general manager Adam Pearce's lead assistant and went on to make a lot of executive decisions herself on television.

Deville, 31, now makes one of the most important decisions of her life, deciding to retire from pro wrestling. She was informed that her contract would not be renewed in February. And six months later, she sat down with Chris Van Vliet to discuss her life, what's next, and where she stands with the pro wrestling world today.

When asked whether or not she's done with pro wrestling at the moment Deville said,

"Definitely for now. Never say never. But like, right now I feel at peace with that."

Deville, real name Daria Berenato, was actually negotiating a brand new contract with WWE at the time of her departure. The former Women's Tag Team Champion considered her release a shock for that reason. Despite how sudden her departure may have felt, she still has a strong sense of loyalty for WWE. Deville has found it difficult to even contemplate wrestling elsewhere.

“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."

The former MMA star emphasized that this is just the beginning of what she can accomplish in the entertainment world. Deville began production for a film the week after she was released and was in Nashville, Tennessee two days prior to the interview for another movie. Acting is something she's always had a passion for, going as far as to have the Hollywood sign tattooed on her forearm.

"Probably my first dream was to be an actress...I was obsessed, that was always what I wanted to do. And then I fell in love with MMA as well and that's what I was doing when WWE found me."

She went on to explain how she attempted to pursue both MMA and Hollywood simultaneously
after moving to Los Angeles at 19-years-old. Deville was able to combine the worlds through a successful career with WWE.

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