TNA’s AMC Premiere Sees Recently Retired WWE Star Debut As Authority Figure
WWE and TNA came into a multi-year partnership last year in January, and the deal has seen benefit both companies till now, with several stars crossing over to the other from time to time.
Multiple WWE stars have held TNA titles, with Stacks still holding the International Championship, whereas the Hardy Boyz held the NXT Tag Team Championship. Tonight, the relationship between the two brands grew further.
Tonight was TNA’s premiere episode of Impact on AMC, which saw wrestling legend AJ Styles open the show for the promotion. The show also saw the debut of a former WWE star, who recently announced their in-ring retirement.
Sonya Deville makes her TNA debut tonight
Former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, Sonya Deville, now going by Daria Rae, made her official debut tonight as she was revealed as an on-screen authority figure. She announced her in-ring retirement during an interview with Chris Van Vliet in July 2025.
She was introduced to huge cheers by Santino Marella as his assistant, but instantly turned on the director of authority as she stated that she didn’t need Marella and asked him to stay out of her way.
Welcome to TNA @TheDariaRae! @milanmiracle
#TNAiMPACT@AMC_TVpic.twitter.com/aSMFcYUQRV— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 16, 2026
The Suit, as she referred to herself during her debut appearance, made her presence known instantly as she announced the signing of a new star to the promotion’s Knockout Division just before leaving the ring.
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