She walked through the curtain at NXT Halloween Havoc 2024 and immediately looked like she belonged. Not just belonged — looked like someone who had been waiting for this stage her entire career, which, given how rapidly she rose through Australian independent wrestling before signing with WWE, was exactly the case. Zaria WWE represents the kind of signing that makes NXT’s talent pipeline so compelling to follow. Here’s everything you need to know about one of professional wrestling’s most exciting rising stars.
Real Name, Age, and Background
Zaria’s real name is Daria Hodder. She was born on May 11, 1999, in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, making her 26 years old as of 2026. She grew up in Australia and is billed from Adelaide, South Australia, in her WWE appearances. Before becoming Zaria in WWE, she competed under the ring name Delta on the Australian independent wrestling circuit.
Hodder was trained by Chris Basso and Matt Basso — prominent figures in the Australian wrestling scene — and made her professional wrestling debut on December 31, 2020. The speed of her development from debut to major league signing is remarkable even by the standards of today’s WWE talent pipeline.
Height, Weight, and Physical Profile
Standing at 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm) and billed at 165 pounds (75 kg), Zaria WWE possesses a physical presence that immediately sets her apart on the NXT roster. Her height advantage — she is noticeably taller than many of her NXT Women’s division opponents — combined with her athleticism and power gives her a combination of attributes that is genuinely rare in women’s wrestling. It is a profile that made her an appealing signing for WWE’s talent scouts who have been actively pursuing the best women’s wrestlers from outside the traditional American market.
Career in Australian Independent Wrestling
Before WWE came calling, Zaria built an impressive championship resume on the Australian circuit. She is a former RCW (Riot City Wrestling) Champion, RCW Grand Champion, RCW Tag Team Champion, and RCW Women’s Champion — a range of titles across multiple formats that speaks to her versatility and standing in the Australian scene. She also held the Melbourne City Wrestling Intercommonwealth Championship and MCW Women’s Championship, along with the Southern Territory Wrestling Australian Women’s Championship.
RCW is considered one of the biggest independent promotions in Australia, and her multiple championship reigns there established her as a legitimate headliner rather than just a prospect. The experience of working matches at the top of cards in front of dedicated Australian wrestling crowds gave her a polish and confidence that showed immediately in her NXT work.
WWE NXT Debut and Early Career
Zaria debuted in WWE at NXT Halloween Havoc 2024, one of NXT’s most high-profile event slots on the calendar. The debut itself was preceded by weeks of vignettes building anticipation, and the live reaction she received made clear that the NXT audience was ready for what she was bringing. Her size, athleticism, and presentation all delivered on the promise of those pre-debut packages.
Her first significant singles highlight came on April 1 of the following episode of NXT, when she defeated Lash Legend — a match that firmly established her as a credible singles competitor in the division. Her NXT Deadline 2024 appearance in the Iron Survivor Challenge, where she competed against several of the division’s top names, further demonstrated that WWE intended her to be positioned at the top of the card.
ZaRuca Tag Team Partnership
After NXT Deadline 2024, Zaria formed an unexpected partnership with Sol Ruca, originally intended as a one-off arrangement following their shared Iron Survivor Challenge experience. What started as circumstantial quickly became one of NXT’s most compelling tag team stories. Known colloquially as ZaRuca, the duo won their first tag match on the February 4, 2025 episode of NXT, defeating Tatum Paxley and Gigi Dolin in a match that got the crowd invested in the pairing immediately. The Zaria WWE tag run with Sol Ruca added a dimension to both women’s characters that individual storylines alone hadn’t fully revealed.
Championships and Achievements
As of 2026, Zaria’s WWE career is still in its ascending phase, with the most significant title opportunities and championship reigns almost certainly still ahead of her. Her Australian championship titles include: RCW Championship, RCW Grand Championship, RCW Tag Team Championship, RCW Women’s Championship, MCW Intercommonwealth Championship, MCW Women’s Championship, and Southern Territory Wrestling Australian Women’s Championship.
Her theme song, ‘Tortured Minds’ by Jonathan Boye featuring Patrice Duthoo, has been in use since November 2026 and contributes to the aura she brings to every entrance. The combination of her music, her physical presence, and the genuine in-ring ability she has shown consistently since her debut makes her one of the most complete packages on the NXT roster.
What the Future Holds
The trajectory for Zaria WWE points firmly upward. WWE’s investment in building her slowly through credible matchups and high-profile event appearances rather than rushing her to a title program suggests the company sees her as a long-term asset rather than a short-term experiment. Australian wrestling fans who watched her rise from debut on December 31, 2020 to NXT main-roster contender in under four years have known all along what WWE is only now beginning to show the wider world: Zaria is genuinely special.
