Daria Rae Says WWE Hiatus After 2020 Kidnapping Attempt Was Not Her Choice

Daria Rae—formerly known as Sonya Deville—never wanted to step away from wrestling following the traumatic attempted kidnapping incident that shook her life in 2020.

In a new interview with Metro, Rae opened up about the aftermath of the August 2020 break-in at her Florida home, when a South Carolina man was arrested for attempted armed kidnapping and multiple other charges. The incident occurred just days before Rae was scheduled to face Mandy Rose in a Hair vs. Hair match at WWE SummerSlam. The stipulation was changed to a Loser Leaves WWE match, and Rae took time away from WWE following her on-screen loss. But according to Rae, the hiatus wasn’t her call.

“I never wanted to step away. That wasn’t my choice. It was probably what was best for me at the time, so I’m glad people had my personal well-being in mind, but I never wanted to step away,” she said.

During her absence, Rae said she was constantly pushing to return.

“I was chomping at the bit every second I was home, texting the powers that be like, ‘When can I come back? When can I come back?’”

Looking back, she acknowledges the break may have been necessary—but that didn’t stop her frustration.

“Obviously, hindsight is 20/20. But I was hungry, I was in the middle of it. I had loved the angle and the storyline that Mandy and I did, including Dolph [Ziggler] – [AKA Nic Nemeth] – and Otis.”

“I was kind of just getting my footing, I feel like, as a character on screen. Obviously, we can’t predict the future, and timing wasn’t perfect.”

Still, Rae refuses to let that moment define her career:

“I can’t ever look back and be like, ‘Oh I wish that didn’t happen’. Because everything leads to the next thing, and where you’re supposed to be.”

Now appearing as the on-screen authority figure in TNA Wrestling, Rae believes her current path was always meant to be.

“Look at me now – I’m in TNA, it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be right now, I believe that.”

Rae debuted in her TNA role during the January 15 premiere of TNA iMPACT on AMC. She’s now overseeing operations and helping lead the next era of the company.