# The Evolution of Daria Berenato- Athlete, Wrestler, Trailblazer

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strong-new-york-podcast-6922708/the-evolution-of-daria-berenato-athlete-wrestler-trailblazer
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strong-new-york-podcast-6922708/the-evolution-of-daria-berenato-athlete-wrestler-trailblazer.md
Podcast: [The Strong New York Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strong-new-york-podcast-6922708)
Published: 2026-03-25T12:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/3875331a
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/3875331a/998456ee.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-strong-new-york-podcast-6922708/episodes/the-evolution-of-daria-berenato-athlete-wrestler-trailblazer
Duration seconds: 2200

## Resource

This week on the Strong New York Podcast, host Kenny Santucci is joined by Daria Berenato — actress, former WWE Champion, MMA fighter, and media host. After a groundbreaking WWE career that included championship success and leadership roles as Raw and SmackDown General Manager, Daria returned to wrestling television with TNA Wrestling on AMC as authority figure The S.U.I.T., Daria Rae. She also serves as an executive partner and commentator with Invicta FC and co-hosts the podcast Unwrapped . Kenny and Daria discuss her journey from a competitive multi-sport athlete in South Jersey to discovering MMA, training at a time when women’s combat sports were far less mainstream, and her experience on Tough Enough, which led to her signing with WWE despite early elimination. She shares lessons learned from other talents in the industry, reflects on leaving WWE after 10 years to pursue acting and producing, and opens up about embracing her sexuality and the support she’s received from the LGBTQ+ community. 00:00 Women in Combat Sports 00:53 Podcast Intro and Guest 01:23 Daria Name Origins 02:36 South Jersey Roots 03:31 Wild Gyms and Money Talk 05:04 Philly Food and Cheesesteaks 06:10 Jersey Shore Life and Real Estate 10:07 From Team Sports to Fighting 11:01 Inspired by Gina Carano 12:41 First MMA Gym Initiation 14:35 Proving Herself in Tournament 16:07 Wrestling Roots 16:48 Women Rising 18:39 Jiu Jitsu Proof 19:23 Divas Revolution 20:39 Tough Enough 22:10 Money Reality 24:17 Raw Debut 25:33 Backstage Mentors 27:31 Character Evolution 28:55 WWE To TNA 30:41 Coming Out Story 34:48 Fans And Kids 36:24 Pump Session Wrap

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## Transcript

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