Daria Rae, formerly known as Sonya Deville in WWE, revealed how her former WWE co-workers reacted after her surprise debut in TNA Wrestling.
The AMC debut of TNA Impact saw Director of Authority Santino Marella introduce Daria Rae as a new authority figure. She quickly turned on Marella and revealed that TNA had signed a new Knockout, former NXT star Elayna Black.
In an interview with Denise Salcedo, Rae was asked about the reaction from her former WWE peers, especially since she kept her debut a secret from almost everyone. She said, “They were all freaking- I got so many texts. I mean like Nattie, Liv, Lana, Bianca, so many of the girls reached out and were so supportive, and obviously on social media as well.”
She added, “They were like ‘how did you not tell me this’, they were all kinda freaked out that I kept it from them, but I was trying to get a pop out of the girls, so I wanted to keep it low-key and see their initial organic reaction.” [H/T: Wrestletalk]
Daria Rae reveals how she secretly planned her TNA debut
Daria Rae also explained how her TNA debut came together and why she kept it quiet. She said, “I will say I worked very hard to keep that under wraps. I took like ridiculous precautions, I looked like the cat burglarer going through the airport, it was ridiculous. And I told nobody, except my wife of course.”
She continued, “When we spoke I had just left, I definitely needed a break, I had been there for 10 years, professional wrestling and sports entertainment was all I knew, I was there from 21 to 31 years old, so I took a much needed break.”
Toward the end of the year, Rae said she felt ready to return. “Then as we rounded the end of the year I just had an epiphany, 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.'”
Daria Rae says joining TNA felt like the right time and place
Daria Rae said that she had stayed in contact with TNA over the years due to its connection with Anthem Sports, which also owns Invicta FC. “I had been talking to TNA kinda from the moment I left, because TNA is owned by the same company that Invicta FC, the MMA company, is owned by, Anthem Sports, and so I had met Carlos at an Invicta event, we talked back then, and I just wasn’t ready then, and then I was.”
She recalled reaching out just before TNA announced its AMC TV deal, “So I reached out like ‘lets do this’, and it happened to be the day before they announced the AMC TV deal and he’s like ‘did you know?’ and I was like ‘no I had no clue, how would I know’. So it was kind of this, that was the full circle moment that I needed, it was the reassurance that this is the right time, right place, and then when I walked out on stage for that first time in 10 months, almost 11 months, I was like ‘oh yeah, this is where I’m supposed to be.'” [H/T: Wrestletalk]
Read More: Backstage Update on Elayna Black’s TNA Deal — Report
