Deville rose to prominence as a contestant in the 2015 season of WWE Tough Enough, where she finished 11th place. Following her elimination, she signed a contract with WWE and was sent to the
WWE Performance Center in
Orlando, Florida. She then performed in WWE's
developmental brand,
NXT, before moving up to the main roster. She was assigned to the Raw brand in November 2017 in a team with
Mandy Rose and
Paige called Absolution. Deville and Rose were later
drafted to SmackDown and became
Fire and Desire 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 alongside
Adam Pearce, but resumed wrestling in mid-2022.
In mixed martial arts, she has competed in three fights, holding a record of 2–1.
In June 2015, Berenato was one of the thirteen finalists for the
sixth season of the
WWE competition Tough Enough.[11] She was the third competitor eliminated from the competition.[12]
In October 2015, Berenato signed a contract with WWE,[7] and was assigned to their
developmental brand
NXT to begin her training. She made her in-ring debut on December 3 during a
live event against
Nia Jax, which she lost.[13] 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 along with
Mandy Rose, and
Alexa Bliss, in which they were defeated by
Carmella,
Liv Morgan, and
Nikki Cross.[2] Berenato returned to television on the November 23 episode of NXT in another six-woman tag team match with
The Iconic Duo (
Billie Kay and
Peyton Royce), where they lost to
Aliyah,
Ember Moon and Liv Morgan.[14] 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.[15]
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's
NXT Women's Championship, where she was eliminated by Peyton Royce and Billie Kay.[16] Following this, Deville began a winning streak, defeating
Lacey Evans,[17]Rachel Evers,[18] Jenna Van Bemel,[19] and Zeda.[20] Following another short hiatus, Deville returned on the October 18 episode of NXT, where she participated in a
triple threat match against Ember Moon and
Ruby Riott to gain an spot on the
fatal four-way match for the vacant NXT Women's Championship at
NXT TakeOver: WarGames on November 18, which was won by Moon.[21] On the November 22 episode of NXT, Deville was defeated by Ruby Riott.[22] A rematch took place on the December 6 episode of NXT, where they faced off in a
no holds barred match which Deville won. Deville then unsuccessfully challenged Ember Moon for the title on the December 27 episode of NXT.[23]
On the November 20, 2017, episode of Raw, Deville joined
Mandy Rose and
Paige as they attacked
Sasha Banks,
Bayley,
Mickie James, and
Alexa Bliss.[24] A week later, the trio's name was revealed as Absolution.[25] Deville had her first televised match on the main roster at Tribute to the Troops on December 19, where Absolution defeated Bayley, Mickie James and Sasha Banks.[25]
During the
2018 Superstar Shake-up, both Deville and Rose were drafted to SmackDown, but Paige declared they would not receive special treatment and that Absolution is over.[30][31] Throughout the summer, Deville would continue her
alliance with Rose as the two remained a tag team and competed in various singles and tag team matches.[32][33][34][35][36][37] On October 28, Deville also took part of the first ever all women's pay-per-view,
Evolution, competing in a
battle royal match where she was eliminated by Rose.[38] In November, it was announced that Deville will take part of Team Smackdown for the upcoming traditional
five-on-five elimination match at
Survivor Series.[39] In her first appearance at the
event, Deville was one of the final two women of the team alongside
Asuka, but she was eliminated via count out after a brawl with Bayley outside the ring.[40][41] On January 27, 2019, at the
Royal Rumble, Deville competed in her second Royal Rumble match, where she entered at number 25, lasting 04:26, before she was eliminated by Alexa Bliss.[42] On February 17, Deville and Rose competed in a six-team
Elimination Chamber match for the inaugural
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship at the
namesake pay-per-view, where they were the last team eliminated by the eventual winners Sasha Banks and Bayley.[43]
Shortly after
Fastlane, the dissolution angle between Deville and Rose was once again portrayed as both accidentally cost each other matches against
SmackDown Women's Champion Asuka.[44][45][46][47] Both Deville and Rose competed in the second WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal during the
WrestleMania 35 pre-show, however, they were one of the last competitors eliminated from the match.[48][49] In May, Deville and Rose were given the opportunity to choose between each other who would be the last competitor for the
Money in the Bank ladder match at the
namesake pay-per-view on May 19.[50][51][52] Deville, who insisted on Rose getting the spot, tried to climb the ladder and help Rose win the match, however, Bayley was able to fight them off and retrieve the briefcase.[53]
Singles competition and non-wrestling role (2020–2023)
After Rose entered a storyline love triangle with
Otis and
Dolph Ziggler in 2020,[54] it was revealed on the April 3 episode of SmackDown that Deville was working with Ziggler to keep Otis from Rose.[55][56] Deville then accompanied Ziggler to his match against Otis at
WrestleMania 36 on April 5, during which she was attacked by Rose, who aligned herself with Otis.[57] Later that month, Deville called Rose out to brand her selfish, vow to "ruin Rose's life", and attack her.[58] On the May 22 episode of SmackDown, Deville and Ziggler defeated Otis and Rose in a tag team match.[59] In July, Deville attacked Rose backstage and proceeded to cut her hair.[60] The two were originally scheduled to compete in a
hair vs. hair match at
SummerSlam, but due to Deville's obligation to appear in court following the attempted kidnapping at her home, her lawyer advised her against cutting her hair short; therefore, the stipulation was changed to a
No DisqualificationLoser Leaves WWE match.[61] Deville lost the match to Rose at the event in August.[62] She began a hiatus after the defeat.[61]
On the January 1, 2021 episode of SmackDown, Deville returned to WWE in her first appearance since August 2020, and was announced as having been reinstated.[61] She then became the assistant to on-screen authority figure
Adam Pearce on the SmackDown brand.[63] She later also began to appear on the Raw brand and making executive decisions herself, such as reinstating
Charlotte Flair after Pearce had suspended Flair,[64] and then adding her to the
Raw Women's Championship match at
WrestleMania Backlash.[65] In August 2021, Deville became involved in a feud with
Naomi, which developed due to Deville's irritation with Naomi's persistence in asking her to put her in matches.[66]
On the April 11 episode of Raw, after new
Raw Women's ChampionBianca Belair had defeated
Queen Zelina in a non-title match, Deville emerged and disclosed plans to name Belair's next challenger for the title. As Belair had her back turned on Deville, Deville blindsided and attacked her, revealing herself to be the mystery challenger before signing the match contract.[67] On April 18, Deville and Belair came face-to-face, during which Belair was almost goaded into attacking Deville. Later, Deville revealed that Belair had to be fined because she laid her hands on an official. Adam Pearce fined Belair $1 and when Deville complained about this, Pearce informed Deville that there was an investigation going on concerning her conduct.[68] On the May 9 episode of Raw, Deville was no longer a WWE official and returned as an in-ring competitor in a match she lost to the returning
Alexa Bliss.[69] Deville made a surprise appearance on the October 11 episode of NXT, where she attacked
Alba Fyre from the crowd, as she aligned herself with
Toxic Attraction (
Gigi Dolin and
Jacy Jayne) by powerbombing Fyre through the commentary table.[70] Deville then competed at
Royal Rumble on January 28, 2023, where she entered at number 27 and got 3 eliminations before being eliminated by
Asuka.[71]
Teaming with Chelsea Green and injury (2023–present)
On the March 27, 2023, episode of Raw, Deville teamed up with
Chelsea Green and defeated the team of
Candice LeRae and
"Michin" Mia Yim to qualify for the Women's WrestleMania Showcase match.[72] At Night 2 of
WrestleMania 39, Green and Deville were unsuccessful, with the match being won by
Ronda Rousey and
Shayna Baszler.[73] Deville and Green were drafted to the
Rawbrand as part of the
2023 WWE Draft.[74] On the July 3 episode of Raw, Deville and Green won a
tag team turmoil match to earn an opportunity at the
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship,[75] which they would subsequently win from
Liv Morgan and
Raquel Rodriguez two weeks later, marking the first championship in Deville's career.[76] On August 7, TMZ reported that Deville had suffered a
torn ACL and that she would be out indefinitely.[77] Deville confirmed the injury through her social media channels.[78] On the August 14 episode of Raw,
Piper Niven declared herself one half of the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, becoming Green's new tag partner and replacing Deville.[79]
Other media
Berenato co-hosted the
YouTube series UFC AfterBuzz.[4] She appeared as a main cast member for the ninth season of Total Divas.[80]
On July 28, 2022, Berenato alongside fellow wrestler Amanda Saccomanno, best known as
Mandy Rose, opened their own virtual donut brand named DaMandyz Donutz, delivered by
Uber Eats in
Los Angeles.[87]
Personal life
Berenato is
gay, making her the first openly gay female wrestler in WWE.[88][89] She described
coming out as a
lesbian during Tough Enough.[90] She is in a relationship with model and fitness enthusiast Toni Cassano.[91] Berenato and Cassano became engaged in February 2023 and then married in February 2024.[92][93]
On August 16, 2020, a South Carolina man named Phillip Thomas was arrested and charged with aggravated stalking, armed burglary of a dwelling, attempted armed kidnapping, and criminal mischief for breaking into Berenato's home in
Lutz, Florida.[94][8] Berenato was subsequently granted a temporary
injunction against "stalking violence".[95] In 2023, Thomas was sentenced to 15 years in prison.[96]
Berenato was arrested in
Atlantic City, New Jersey in February 2023 for possessing a firearm without a permit. She was released on a summons for a future court date.[97][98]
^Strode, Cory (January 28, 2018).
"FULL ROYAL RUMBLE COVERAGE". PWInsider.
Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2018.