Zaria exclusive interview; Australian wrestler's journey overseas, Rhea Ripley influence

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The inflow of Australian professional wrestlers on the world stage has continued, with one other younger star taking WWE by storm over the previous yr.

Zaria – actual identify Daria Hodder – solely signed with the corporate after impressing officers at a tryout in Perth in February 2024 and has been on a speedy rise ever since.

It was a part of a whirlwind weekend that noticed Rhea Ripley compete in the principle occasion of Elimination Chamber in entrance of greater than 50,000 followers at Optus Stadium.

However for Zaria, her personal desires of reaching the highest of sports activities leisure had been about to be fulfilled and the way in which she realized of the information was somewhat uncommon, with fellow Aussie wrestler Grayson Waller taking part in a shock function within the life-changing second.

“My tryout was on Elimination Chamber weekend once they went to Perth,” she instructed Large World of Sports activities this week.

“Earlier than I even had the tryout, I had so many individuals telling me ‘you are gonna get in, cease stressing’ however I am the kind of particular person the place I do not wanna get my hopes up, simply in case.

“I had my tryout after which it was a blur, however I believe it was the subsequent day or the day after, I used to be wrestling on a present and some folks from WWE went and watched and Grayson Waller was one of many those that was there.

“I had my match, got here backstage and cooled down. Grayson Waller comes as much as me and he goes ‘hey, come over right here’ and was like ‘I wanna let you understand you are in, you are gonna make it’ and I used to be like ‘get out of right here’. He was like ‘no, severely, they had been speaking about it and also you’re in’ – in order that was the second.

“There was nonetheless somewhat little bit of me that needed to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

“It may need been two weeks later that I bought the decision and I had simply completed my standard day job and I used to be sitting in my automotive. It was the decision the place they instructed me ‘hey, we’re gonna provide a contract to you’ and I could not even course of that thought.

“All of it felt like a dream and it nonetheless seems like a dream.”

After placing pen to paper on a contract with WWE, issues began to sink in for Zaria.

Having solely made her official in-ring wrestling debut lower than 5 years in the past on a neighborhood present in entrance of 30 folks, Zaria had now turned her love of professional wrestling – which was fashioned largely by her older brother – into a real full-time profession.

Whereas competing contained in the squared circle was nothing new to her after spending years engaged on the impartial scene – most notably for Riot Metropolis Wrestling in Adelaide – having to depart behind a complete help system and transfer to Orlando was no small order.

“I’ve had a whole lot of possibilities to replicate,” she mentioned.

“The apparent one is leaving household and associates, leaving my previous life behind. I am such a house physique and I wish to be in my consolation zone, so transferring right here was such an enormous bounce.

“You by no means actually assume while you begin wrestling that you just’re gonna find yourself in WWE, as a result of it is such a as soon as in a lifetime alternative and there is so many individuals making an attempt to get into WWE … you by no means assume it should be you.

“Once I began wrestling, I wasn’t wrestling to get to WWE. I used to be doing it as a result of it was enjoyable and it gave me objective in life, it gave me one thing to work in the direction of and obtain and create experiences you could’t actually get anyplace else.

“It wasn’t till three years in when it was folks round me telling me that I might make it to WWE. The primary few individuals who mentioned it, I’d go ‘yeah OK, certain’ however the extra folks would say I might make it and ultimately, I began to imagine it.

“I at all times sit again and take into consideration all of the ‘pinch me’ moments like my debut and even attending to wrestle at WrestleMania weekend. I keep in mind going into the venue for the primary time and seeing the WrestleMania signal with my very own eyeballs.

“It is superb that I get to be right here and my life has simply modified a lot.”

The trail to WWE for these Down Beneath has by no means been extra open than it’s proper now.

Twenty years in the past, there wasn’t a single Australian on the roster and even a decade in the past, there have been solely a handful of wrestlers signed with WWE.

Now, it is a utterly completely different story with Ripley main the cost, changing into one of many largest mainstream stars in your complete wrestling enterprise.

The aforementioned Waller, in addition to Bronson Reed, have additionally discovered various levels of success, whereas the likes of Gold Coast’s Toni Storm and Sydney’s Kyle Fletcher have turn into two of the perfect wrestlers on the planet with rival promotion AEW.

But it surely was Ripley who has been the most important “motivator” for Zaria to get to the place she’s at now and there are undoubtedly a number of different Aussies who will need to comply with swimsuit.

Rhea Ripley is likely one of the largest stars in WWE. Getty

“Rhea Ripley is clearly an enormous inspiration, now greater than ever,” she mentioned.

“I met her whereas I used to be nonetheless in Australia, she had come over a few occasions. She is the loveliest particular person you’ll meet and she is going to speak to you such as you’ve been associates for years.

“She has stored in contact with me since I had met her and he or she’s so useful, particularly since I’ve come to Orlando and he or she had heard I bought signed.

“She’s prolonged a serving to hand on quite a few events and so has Grayson Waller, Indi Hartwell, Bronson Reed – all of the Australians, simply because they know what it is wish to pack up your life and transfer to a different nation.

“I bought to observe her wrestle reside when WWE got here to Perth final yr. Seeing it with my very own eyes, that was such a motivator to push to the place I wanted to go.”

Nonetheless within the infancy of her profession with WWE and with a lot forward of her, Zaria has hit the bottom working and given followers a glimpse into her simple potential.

Clearly, her early showings beneath the WWE umbrella have made an impression, with the Aussie getting a spot on the current Evolution premium reside occasion – an all-women’s present that featured the likes of Ripley, Charlotte Aptitude and Becky Lynch.

“The whole lot that occurred that day was the best-case situation,” she mentioned.

“It is so surreal to be the place I’m, not to mention be in the identical ring as wrestlers like Charlotte Aptitude. I used to be given the perfect alternative and the perfect match.

“Evolution was such an ideal showcase for girls’s wrestling.”