WWE’s Locker Room Reaction to Daria Rae’s TNA Debut Revealed

Daria Rae’s TNA debut on January 15 may have surprised fans, but the biggest reaction came from inside the WWE locker room.

In a January 19, 2026 interview with Denise Salcedo, the former Sonya Deville revealed that shortly after her TNA debut aired, she was flooded with texts from her former WWE colleagues—many of whom were caught completely off guard. She specifically named Natalya, Liv Morgan, Lana, and Bianca Belair as some of the first to reach out.

“Nattie, Liv, Lana, Bianca—so many of the girls reached out and were incredibly supportive. They were like, ‘What the hell? How did you not tell me this?’ They were kind of freaked out that I kept it from them.”

Rae admitted the secrecy was part of the plan. She wanted her return to be a surprise not just to fans, but to the people closest to her in the industry. She also said she’s become more private as she’s gotten older, preferring to hold things close until they actually happen.

“I was trying to make it a moment. I wanted to get a real pop out of the girls, so I kept it low-key and just wanted to see their initial, organic reactions. I don’t know if it’s superstition exactly, but I feel like when you share everything before it happens, it kind of taints the process. So it was just something I wanted to keep to myself for a bit.”

While her on-screen presence as The Suit suggests she’s ready to throw down, don’t expect an in-ring return anytime soon. According to Sean Ross Sapp on the Fightful Select Q&A podcast, Rae has no current plans to wrestle and is focused entirely on her role as a non-wrestling authority figure.

“From what I heard, she’s supposed to be a non-wrestling authority figure. She said recently that she’s pretty well retired from in-ring competition.”

Sapp also noted that Rae’s return came through her ties to Anthem Sports, TNA’s parent company, which also owns Invicta FC—where Rae had previously worked. While the possibility of a future match isn’t completely off the table, Rae is firmly focused on leadership right now.

“She has a good relationship with TNA’s parent company, Anthem, and got brought in to do some stuff with their Invicta FC MMA promotion. She’s going to be a good on-screen character that eventually, if she decides to, she could work as well. But I have not heard anything indicating that she would.”

For now, Daria Rae is running the show—not stepping back into the ring. And judging by the reaction from her peers, her comeback was mission accomplished.

What did you think of Daria Rae’s TNA debut—and do you think she’ll stay out of the ring long-term? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know if you’re digging The Suit era.

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