Daria Berenato Talks 'WWE Tough Enough' Experience, MMA, WWE Plans and More

Daria Berenato's elimination during the third episode of WWE Tough Enough came as a shock to a lot of people. She was the only female competitor with mixed martial arts experience and was clearly one of the more athletic people in the group.

Unfortunately, her downfall was the character competition, where each participant had to come up with an entrance for a specific gimmick. Daniel Bryan, one of her biggest supporters, put her on the chopping block.

It's interesting to note that every person Bryan has nominated for elimination has gone home. Perhaps his beard is bad luck.

I recently had the chance to speak with Berenato about her time on the show, her experience in MMA and what the future holds for The Jersey Devil.

Bleacher Report: What inspired you to try out for Tough Enough?

Daria Berenato: Well, I started off in MMA, so I have a combat sports background. I've always been athletic my entire life and loved sports. A good friend of mine, Maria Menounos, she's kind of like a mentor to me. She dabbled in WWE and pro wrestling, and she said "This is the perfect opportunity for you." Once I started doing my research about the competition and the company, I fell in love with WWE even more.

B/R: Would you describe yourself as a big wrestling fan before this, or is it something you are now getting into?

DB: No, I definitely wasn't a fan prior to the competition. I always loved MMA and sports in general, and I watched a little wrestling but not too much.

B/R: Are you now watching more WWE?

DB: Oh yeah. When I got the call to do the show, I immediately started doing my research and fell in love with the old Lita and Trish matches. My focus is now on WWE and learning from the greats. I want to respect the history of the sport.

B/R: How would you describe your overall experience on the show?

DB: It was the most amazing experience of my life—not only getting to learn new things athletically but getting to work with people like Booker T, Billy Gunn, Paige and Daniel Bryan. It was an incredible experience, but it also made me realize that this is what I want to do with my life. It's a whole new chapter that I never expected to open.

B/R: Do you think you will continue a career in pro wrestling going forward?

DB: I am absolutely going to pursue a career in wrestling. My immediate goal is to get into the WWE. I'm not going to stop until that happens. That being said, I'm not going to stop training in MMA because anything I do with that is only going to help me with what I do with WWE.

B/R: Who did you get along with best in the house?

DB: I had so much fun in the Tough Enough barracks. I probably got along best with Amanda and Giorgia.

B/R: Who would you say you got along with the least?

DB: I definitely didn't get along with Gabi. She's probably the person who annoyed me most in the house. She's very unpredictable. One day, she's smiling and nice to you, and the next day, she's backstabbing you.

B/R: Was there anything edited out of the show that you felt should have been included?

DB: No, I knew what I was signing up for. For the most part, I think that I was portrayed fairly. It is what it is. It's a reality show at the end of the day. I think I made the right impressions on the right people.

B/R: Your elimination came as a shock to many, especially the community on social media. How does it feel to know so many people supported you?

DB: It's seriously amazing. I've had so much support from day one in this competition. When I came out on national television, I had a big community rallying behind me with the LGBT community, and now, I have all these fans supporting me who are upset that I got eliminated. It's a great feeling to know that you have people continuing to follow your journey and support you because a lot of people see that this is only the beginning for me, and they're absolutely right.

"

This is insane! #whatisgoingon @WWE @WWEToughEnough

— Alex Frekey (@ToughAlexF) July 8, 2015"

B/R: Your coming out during the competition special on the WWE Network was a big deal. Were your family and friends already aware, or was this the first time you talked about it publicly?

DB: When I came out, the only people that knew were my immediate family and maybe a handful of friends from back home in New Jersey. It was kind of a shocker to everybody, and I got tons of emails and texts and had to explain to everybody what has been going on. It's been the most positive experience of my life, and I can't thank everyone enough for their support.

B/R: Billy Gunn laid into you for losing the belt in the swamp challenge, but you weren't given a chance to explain what happened. How did you end up losing the belt?

DB: We were swimming with alligators and snakes, which is terrifying, but what I haven't said is that I haven't swam in over 10 years. It's never been my thing, and unclear water is my biggest fear in the world. I was one of the first people to grab the belt. I was going really fast, and it was all going great. I was on my way back, and the belt was sinking me. It was around my shoulder, and I saw that Dianna had it around her waist, and she seemed to be going pretty well.

I tried to get it off and get a better grip of it, and next thing you know, it's sinking to the bottom of the swamp. It was a pretty terrifying moment, but the only thing on my mind was that I had better finish this race, so I just kept swimming and made it to shore. Three people didn't even finish the competition, so I was decently satisfied with finishing.

B/R: Which trainer was the most helpful to you?

DB: The most helpful to me personally was Lita. She's a girl, and she understands how our bodies work a little better and how our minds work. She was a real inspiration, and she gave us great advice on how to take this opportunity and make it into something.

B/R: Would you change anything about what you said or did while on the show?

DB: No. I can't regret anything or take anything negative out of this experience because it has been life-changing for me. You put it all out there, and I know that in every challenge I did, I definitely put it all out there, whether it was me acting like a spaz in the ring or whatever it was.

B/R: Who is your favorite wrestler of all time?

DB: I would have to go with Lita, just because not only did I get a chance to work with her and learn from her, but if you go back and watch, that back flip she would do off the top rope is probably one of the most insane moves I have ever seen, and I just think it's awesome.

B/R: How did you first get started in MMA?

DB: I was in my senior year of high school and had played sports my entire life. I kind of got out of them and started just being a normal kid, and I wanted to get back in the competitiveness but had no real love or passion for the sports I had played. I had always known about MMA, and my boyfriend at the time was really into it, so we would watch matches together, and I said "I want to do that."

I started training at a local gym in New Jersey, and the day of my high school graduation, I packed up everything in my car and moved to Coconut Creek, Florida, where I trained with one of the best gyms in the world, American Top Team.

B/R: Will you continue doing MMA or focus solely on wrestling going forward?

DB: I never like to close any doors for myself, and I'm at a prime time in my life where I can really do anything I want. I am going to be training full time, and I am going to make some sacrifices and take some time off of work so I can focus on training. So my days will probably be something like five hours of MMA training in the morning and maybe five hours of wrestling training in the afternoon. I just want to really pursue and get the most out of both.

B/R: Who is your favorite MMA fighter of all time?

Photo courtesy of Daria Berenato

DB: That's a good question. There are so many. My current favorite is Conor McGregor. I'm on that hype train with him. He's really entertaining to watch, and he has that pro wrestling aspect in MMA where he's a character.

Ronda Rousey's awesome. She's obviously a tough chick and probably one of the most technical Judo practitioners in the UFC, if not the most. I've always been a fan of the Diaz brothers. George St. Pierre is one of the greats. Randy Couture. I could go on and on.

B/R: I know you pronounce your name differently, but do people constantly bring up the MTV show Daria to you?

DB: (Laughs) Yeah, my name is Daria (pronounced day-ria), and everyone pronounces my name wrong because of that show. I was a little too young for it. I just missed when it was in its prime.

B/R: Use one or two words to describe each Tough Enough contestant.

DB: Hank: Southern gentleman.
Tanner: Cocky but confident.
Patrick: Intelligent and mature.
Mada: Intense.
Alex: Hilarious.
Josh: Swag.
ZZ: Big sweetheart.
Dianna: High-maintenance.
Gabi: Confusing.
Amanda: Honest and beautiful.
Giorgia: Sincere and sexy.
Sara Lee: Nice.

B/R: Is there anything else you would like to say to the people reading this who followed you through this journey?

DB: I want to say thank you to everybody for being so supportive, and for those of you who voted for me, thank you for voting for me. I think you all saw that there is a future Diva inside of me, and I will be starting my journey now to the WWE, and I can promise you it's going to be an entertaining one.

All quotes were given firsthand to the author. Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor. You can also follow Daria @ToughDaria and @DariaB28.