Sonya Deville was taken aback upon learning that her WWE contract would not be renewed.

The former WWE Superstar—real name Daria Berenato—was among the talents affected by the company’s recent roster cuts. Unlike some who were outright released, Deville was informed that her contract would simply not be renewed when it expires in the coming weeks.

In a newly uploaded YouTube video, Deville addressed her WWE departure for the first time and reflected on what is next for her. She revealed that she had been in ongoing contract negotiations with WWE and initially assumed the phone call she received was about finalizing a new deal. Instead, she was informed that her tenure with the company was coming to an end.

“As a lot of you guys know, 10 days ago now, I got the call. My contract was not being renewed with the WWE,” Deville shared. “I was in Washington, D.C. for a cheer tournament with our little one. I was actually running on the treadmill working out with our older one Giovanna, and I got a phone call. We were in the middle of negotiations, and so I thought the phone call was going to be the middle ground that we met on, an agreement, a contract. And it was, ‘We are not renewing your contract.’ So, complete transparency, which this is really the first time I’m saying this, I was shocked.”

Having spent a decade with WWE, Deville admitted that the news was unexpected. She expressed gratitude for her time with the company, emphasizing the deep connections she formed with colleagues who became like family. She described her WWE tenure as “the 10 best years” of her life and reiterated her love for the business and those she worked with.

Despite the shock of her departure, Deville believes everything happens for a reason. She explained that while she discovered her passion for wrestling in WWE, acting had always been her dream. In a turn of fate, she revealed that she secured her first major film project just three days before learning that her WWE contract would not be renewed.

“First it was shock. At first it was like, ‘Whoa.’ But then it was almost like instantaneously, my trust in the universe allowed me to just be at peace with it instantly. Because you can’t fight fate. That chapter was meant to close, and all these new beautiful blessings were meant to come,” she said. “Just the way things happened, like is there anything more serendipitous? It happened for a reason, so how could you be mad at that? How could you be upset or frustrated or even wonder ‘What if?’ Life’s too short. I have so many dreams, so many things I want to do.

“And I still love everybody there. And I have a great—like, my memory from that place is nothing but positive. And I want to keep it that way. But also I respect that the universe is like, ‘Hey, that chapter’s closed.’ Right now, forever, whatever, it doesn’t matter. But onto the next, let’s go. I have two kids and a wife to take care of. We have a family. Like, we’ve gotta keep going. So I think that just allowed me to have like instant peace. It was like, it’s all good.”