In the last decade, an influx of Australian wrestlers has taken the WWE by storm, proving that the land Down Under can produce world-class sports entertainers
From championship gold to headlining matches on the company’s biggest shows, Australian talent have become key figures of WWE’s weekly programming, consistently showcasing their skills on the global stage
Leading the charge are Bronson Reed, Grayson Waller and Rhea Ripley. Now another Australian is following in their footsteps and has begun making a name for herself.
Within three years, Zaria has rapidly risen through the ranks, turning heads with her imposing presence and hard-hitting style inside the ring.
“I definitely still have to pinch myself. I never thought I would get to the WWE,” Zaria told foxsports.com.au over a video call from the United States.
“I started wrestling because my older brother’s a wrestler and it just looked fun to me, so I wanted to do something fun.
“I wanted to have something that would get me out of the house and make friends and accomplish goals and wrestling was just perfect for me.
“I think along the lines, maybe after a couple of years, WWE was in reach.
“It wasn’t until like a few years in that WWE crossed my mind.”
What started as a simple hobby quickly turned into something much bigger. As Zaria’s confidence and ability grew, she quickly established herself as one of the most dominant female stars in WWE NXT.
Showcasing her power, athleticism and intensity, she has wasted little time making an impression.
But long before she was signed by WWE, Zaria’s journey began much closer to home.
Growing up in Adelaide, South Australia, the Gleeson College graduate began her career performing at Riot City Wrestling (RCW), one of Australia’s most well-known independent wrestling promotions.
It was here that she honed he craft under Matt Hayter, Dean Brady – otherwise known as her older brother – and the brothers who built RCW to where it is today, Chris and Matt Basso, who are commonly known as Mimic and Grimm in the Australian wrestling scene.
“They’re the brothers who have just built RCW to where it is. They coached Rhea Ripley back when she was in RCW and they coached me,” Zaria said.
“Matt Hayter as well as one of the coaches at RCW and alongside my brother he’s been a really big influence on who I am as a person, and as a wrestler.
“He is a creative genius when it comes to wrestling. Not just in the ring but like how you present yourself business-wise in the wrestling world.
“And same with Matt and Chris Basso. When you walk through the RCW doors, they teach you about being respectful, being a good person, because it goes so far in wrestling.”
For Zaria, those early lessons at RCW and later Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW) proved invaluable, helping shape both her in-ring ability and the mindset required to succeed in professional wrestling.
However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Zaria.
After graduating high school, life felt uncertain and isolating. It was during this period that she discovered the true value of perseverance.
With few responsibilities, like most teenagers, limited social connections due to COVID-19 and little direction, she found herself searching for a higher purpose.
It was during this two-year period of struggle that wrestling began to present a path forward and what originally started out as a curiosity quickly became a lifeline and vision for her future.
“Those two years were horrible for me. I had no job, I couldn’t drive and I had all of two friends that were busy in their lives,” she added.
“I spent most of my time home just playing video games. It was bad. Then I watched my first wrestling show.
WWE WrestleMania will air live to Australia from Las Vegas on Netflix – Sunday 19th & Monday 20th April from 9am AEST.
“Around that time I was so desperate to have something new in my life that gave me goals to work towards and give me something to get out of the house.
“I watched that wrestling show and then for the next eight months I had my brother take me to the wrestling gym to teach me how to lift and teach me how to wrestle.
“My mum and I joined a public gym so we would go to the gym three or four times a week.
“The timeframe between graduating and watching my first wrestling show or trying out were really sad and I’m just going to forget about it.”
Putting that behind her, Zaria is completely focused on the future and has challenged for both the TNA Knockouts World Championship and NXT Women’s Championship over the past few months to begin 2026.
Failing to defeat Jacy Jayne for the NXT title earlier in the week, Zaria showed no signs of discouragement and will be preparing for a battle soon against former close confidant, Sol Ruca.
She also has a close eye on fellow Australian Rhea Ripley and believes a match against he Down Under would be the “ultimate goal” to achieve.
“It would be silly for that not to be a dream. I feel like the story is right there,” Zaria continued.
“We were both in the same company under the same people and now we’re back in the same company again and she’s so tough and hard-hitting and I like to think I’m tough and hard-hitting.
“There’s so many similarities. We are just on the same path but at different times.
“I would love for one day to just meet and obviously the biggest dream is WrestleMania but even if it’s something simple like a PLE in Australia.
“If we were to wrestle in Australia, that is the ultimate goal.”
WWE NXT broadcasts live to Australia on Netflix Wednesday’s at 12pm AEDT.