A biography for Sonya Devillehasn’t been written yet.
“I want the women's division to have that legitimacy, I want it to have that intensity and the aggressiveness, and I feel like that's where I personally can contribute.”
“Until I came out publicly, I wasn't really living my fullest life. I was trying to be who I thought I was supposed to be, which never turns out good, and I wasn't fulfilled.”
“Being a lifelong athlete, I am a firm believer that I am who I am today because of sports. Not only did it give me structure and a solid foundation, but it gave me a sense of failure and how to overcome failure.”
“Being a part of the WWE, I am blessed to have a platform both on social media and TV, with that platform I am able to spread my message and share my story.”
“I was in my junior year of high school and I had been playing soccer and basketball almost my entire life, and I wanted a change of pace. I wanted to do something more, something different. That's when I found an MMA gym about 45 minutes from my house and fell in love with the idea of becoming a professional fighter.”
“My personal life is a big part of who my character is.”
“I feel like the story me and Ronda can tell one day will be so awesome, and I think we have something special here. I think that it's going to be an honor and a privilege to work in the ring with her. That's the biggest compliment, is that Ronda Rousey - she's done a lot in her life. She's accomplished a lot.”
“I think back to when I was in high school, to 17-year old Daria, who was dating guys and thought that that was the only way of life. I was very confused, and it was definitely manifesting itself in other parts of my life that were unhealthy.”
“I just think I'm very honest and I say how I feel. Some people like that about me. Some people hate that about me.”
“I think I was more just not comfortable with saying it. I was also in denial. I was like, 'I'm not gay, am I?' Cause I think, also the fact that I didn't fit the stereotypical mold of what a lesbian is supposed to be or act, I was just this girl that nobody would have expected.”
“I was afraid of Sonya being defined by her sexuality because that's not fair to her. I don't want Sonya to be defined by who she loves.”
“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.”
“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.”
“The Women's Evolution was just starting as I was getting into 'Tough Enough.' I've always had great role models coming in and watching the Becky Lynches and the Charlottes, the Bayleys, the Sashas move that movement and then being able to be part of it.”
“I'm an athlete. I'm a performer. Why the hell did I never think of combining the two?”
“Let's just say my phone blew up when I came out on global television. The only people that knew were my immediate family members and my closest friends, maybe like three of them. So you can imagine how many texts and emails and Facebook messages that I got after coming out, most of which were very supportive from the LGBT community.”
“I'm the first-ever openly gay female in the WWE.”
“Spreading the positivity is just as important as telling the difficult stories.”
“It's insane how many fans I have from the LGBTQ+ community. I would say the majority of my fanbase are young, gay women.”
“I realized - and I think I learned this at a young age - that anything that's worth anything, you're going to take a risk to get there and it's not going to be easy.”