Deonna Purrazzo had such a bad experience during her run with WWE that the former NXT star had seriously considered quitting the wrestling business altogether after being released from the promotion. The Impact Knockouts champion recently appeared on Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette. She talked about her wrestling career in detail including her time in NXT.
Opening up about how she felt upon her release from the promotion, Purrazzo said that she was emotionally drained. She revealed that she had started thinking about quitting the business to lead a normal life:
“I was just kind of emotionally drained from wrestling, that environment and that system just really didn’t work for me as a person. I was just very much, ‘this is such b******t! This is not what I love about wrestling.
When I was fired, I had contemplated going back to school a whole bunch.” said Deonna Purrazzo, “and I was like, ‘okay, I’m definitely going to go back to school.’ So I immediately sent in applications to different schools that were online, and I was like, ‘maybe I’ll just be a normal person again.’”
What Deonna Purrazzo Would Have Done After Quitting
The Impact wrestling star also talked about what she was planning for herself after her release. According to her, she had contemplated becoming a full-time teacher:
“I am really, just a big history buff. So when I was released in May, that was the first thing. ‘I’m going to go to school and I’m going to be a history teacher maybe!’”
Deonna Purrazzo was released from her WWE contract in April 2020, after wrestling only 16 televised matches in her two-year-long stint. The female star thankfully didn’t quit wrestling and she has since returned to Impact where she is in her second reign as the Impact Knockouts champion.
There has been a lot written in the press recently about professional wrestling and tears. Wrestling unites people and when looked at objectively, is a very emotional event. You have heroes and villains, champions conquering the world and prodigal sons returning. This level of emotion is not just felt in the crowds, but by those performing in the ring. IMPACT Knockouts champion and new Reina de Reinas champion Deonna Purrazzo recently spoke about how she cried ahead of her Triplemania victory.
Talking during an interview on Busted Open Radio, Deonna Purrazzo didn’t hide the fact that she got so emotional ahead of her win.
“I cried, I cried before the match. I was just so worked up.”
Deonna Purrazzo
The wrestling life is not always easy, and it is not always kind. Deonna Purrazzo has not enjoyed an easy road to her current position. Despite being just 27 years old, Purrazzo has been pushed to the limit by her love of wrestling.
Deonna Purrazzo Appreciates Where She is by Understanding Where She has Been
After finding herself stagnating inside of WWE, Purrazzo made her way onto an IMPACT stage. From there she has moved from strength to strength and is growing in both character and confidence every week.
“Like I love wrestling, I love wrestling so much. And it means so much to me to be put in these positions and for people to trust me in these positions and to get to do these cool life things. I wanted to do this my whole life. Especially more now I’m so appreciative of these opportunities because I came from a place where I wasn’t getting those opportunities and didn’t know if I wanted to wrestle anymore.” Deonna Purrazzo explained. “And the last two years of my life, I’ve just really embraced the opportunities and the gratefulness to get them. I always like to go out and just sit in the crowd when there’s no one, and just look around, look at the ring. I was crying all day because I was just like ‘oh shoot, this is so frickin’ cool.’”
Right now, Deonna Purrazzo is a two-promotion champion, and has spoken of her interest in forming a forbidden door tag team with Britt Baker. She is also part of the upcoming NWA Empowerrr PPV. It’s safe to say she’s come a long way in recent years and has not yet even reached her prime.
Impact Wrestling on 8/19 was the go-home show for Emergence, which takes place tonight. The show also featured Christian Cage retiring the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and Joe Doering facing Doc Gallows in the main event.
Impact 8/19 Quick Results:
Sami Callihan & Chris Sabin defeated Moose & Ace Austin
Matt Cardona w/ Chelsea Green defeated Shera w/ Rohit Raju
Melina defeated Brandi Lauren
No Disqualification Jake Something defeated Kaleb with a K
Former Impact World Champion Sami Callihan was all over the early parts of the show. He came to the aide of his long-time rival Eddie Edwards as the show kicked off with Edwards and his newer rival, W. Morrissey brawled around ringside. Then Callihan teamed with Chris Sabin in the night’s opening contest against Moose and Ace Austin. This match is a preview of the fatal 4-way at Emergence between these 4 wrestlers. The winner of the match will face the winner of Christian Cage vs Brian Myers.
Sabin ended up getting the win for his team after blind-tagging himself in while Callihan was taunting Austin. After the match, Callihan then gave Sabin a piledriver since they will be opponents at Emergence.
Later, Edwards would tell Sami Callihan in the back that he doesn’t want his help.
Matt Cardona Defeats Shera With Help From Chelsea Green
Last week on Impact, Rohit Raju’s distraction caused Matt Cardona to be pinned by John Skyler. This week, Cardona got back in the win column by defeating Shera. Raju tried to get involved on the outside but Chelsea Green thwarted these attempts, allowing Cardona to hit Radio Silence for the win.
Later in the show, it was revealed that Cardona will face Raju tonight at Emergence.
Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood are “The Influence”
After aligning last week against Taylor Wilde, Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood both had each other as guests on their respective talk shows this week. Madison Rayne’s return means that her Locker Room Talk segment was also brought back. Dashwood was her guest which worked out conveniently because on Dashwood’s “All About Me” talking segment, her guests actually ask her questions as opposed to the other way around. This allowed them to each be the other one’s guest on their own talking segment. The two announced that they are now aligned and using the name “The Influence” for their team.
Christian Cage Returns To The Impact Zone
Christian Cage retired the TNA World Heavyweight Championship out of respect ?
Christian Cage returned to the Impact Zone this week as the new Impact World Champion. He talked about his history in the promotion and then mentioned that he’d been talking to Scott D’Amore about retiring the TNA World Championship belt. The belt was officially retired and the Impact World Championship declared the top prize in the company.
Cage’s Emergence opponent, Brian Myers, came out to confront the champion. The two came face to face for a moment before Myers pushed his protege, Sam Beale, into Cage. Cage took out Beale but Myers escaped to the outside.
Melina picked up a win in her Impact in-ring debut. She defeated the former Ava Storie, Brandi Lauren in singles action this week. Lauren wrestled with Impact for a good chunk of 2017 as well. Melina was able to make Lauren submit to the California Dream hold for the win. After the match, however, Melina’s opponent on the NWA Empowerrr PPV, Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo, attacked her from behind.
Drama King Matt came out to help his Homecoming Queen partner. This brought out Trey Miguel to help make the save for Melina, whom he’d run into backstage earlier in the night. Later, a match for Emergence pitting Purrazzo and Drama King against Melina and Miguel was scheduled.
Jake Something wanted a match tonight to get ready for his X-Division Championship match at Emergence. Kaleb with a K happened to be issuing several complaints to Scott D’Amore just as Something was requesting a match, leading him to be chosen as Jake’s opponent. Something would pick up the win after driving Kaleb through a table. After the match, Something and Josh Alexander would have a stare-down as they get ready for their title match at Emergence.
The main event this week pitted Violent By Design’s Joe Doering against the Elite’s Doc Gallows. These two big hosses ended up on the stage area and Gallows hit a sky-high powerbomb on Doering that sent them both crashing through the stage. It looked like the match was over but both big men got up and ended up back in the ring. That’s where Doering hit Gallows with a big lariat and was just able to drap his arm over him to get the pin. If that happens at Emergence, we’ll have new Impact tag team champions.
Lineup For Impact Emergence
Impact World Championship Christian Cage (c) vs. Brian Myers
Impact World Tag Team Championships The Good Brothers (c) vs. Violent By Design vs. Rich Swann and Willie Mack
X-Division Championship Josh Alexander (c) vs. Jake Something
#1 Contenders Match Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan vs. Moose vs. Ace Austin
Petey Williams vs. Steve Maclin
Madison Rayne vs. Taylor Wilde
Deonna Purrazzo % Matthew Rehwoldt vs. Melina & Trey Miguel
Matt Cardona (w/ Chelsea Green) vs. Rohit Raju (w/ Shera)
Tasha Steelz, Savannah Evans, Fallah Bahh and No Way vs. Decay (Black Taurus, Crazzy Steve, Rosemary, Havok)
With the Forbidden Door now open, the wrestling landscape is full of potential dream matches. We have already seen a few, shared between companies like AEW, NJOW and IMPACT. One other benefit of the forbidden door is the possible pairings we could see forming. This idea was recently discussed by IMPACT Knockouts champion Deonna Purrazzo.
Talking on Busted Open Radio Deonna Purrazzo spoke about the female wrestler she would love to form a team with. She was referring to none other than AEW’s own, Dr Britt Baker D.M.D.
“That’s a dream for Britt and I more so than it probably was for anyone else to begin with. We’ve kind of pushed this narrative that we want to wrestle each other. Whether it happens or not, I’m just happy to see the people I love succeed and the people who deserve to succeed, succeeding. I love everything she’s doing. I love the confidence she has. She’s the baddest bitch on the block, for real. Whether I get to wrestle her or not, that’s a dream come true, but it’s also hard. I’m the Knockouts Champion and now the Reina de Reinas Champion and she’s the AEW Women’s Champion. So, what’s the outcome? I’d rather us be a tag team and no one has to lose their belts. Then, IMPACT will let us be the Knockouts Tag Team Champions, maybe.” Deonna Purrazzo mused.
Deonna Purrazzo Is a Woman on the Rise These Days
While Britt Baker has certainly risen to the challenge offered by AEW, Deonna Purrazzo has equalled her over in IMPACT. Not only is she the Knockouts Champion but recently captured the Reina de Reinas belt at AAA Triplemania.
She is a woman who is fast improving in the ring, and at only 27 years old, she has plenty of time left to mature and become the talent everybody can see she will be.
Much has been said about female use of the Forbidden Door, or rather, the lack of it. The idea of having a tag-team of Deonna Purrazzo and Britt Baker chasing down the IMPACT title belts is mouth-watering. With wrestling being wrestling, that would also mean, at some point down the road, there would be a heel/face turn for one of them, that would set them on course for a 1v1 showdown.
Tomorrow night (Aug. 20), Emergence will air on Impact Plus. In the main event, Christian Cage will defend the Impact Wrestling World Championship against Brian Myers. Also set for the card will be an X-Division Title clash between champion Josh Alexander and Jake Something. The Impact World Tag Team Titles will also be on the line as Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson meet Violent By Design, and the team of Rich Swann and Willie Mack.
We now have four more matches to round out the event. On the go-home show for Emergence, it was announced that Decay will collide with Tasha Steelz, Savannah Evans, Fallah Bahh & No Way. Another newly announced matchup is Deonna Purrazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt vs. Melina and Trey Miguel.
Also announced on the recent episode of Impact is a one-on-one match between Matt Cardona and Rohit Raju. It was also revealed that Madison Rayne is making her return to take on Taylor Wilde.
Here’s a look at the final Emergence card.
Christian Cage (c) vs. Brian Myers – for Impact Wrestling World Title
Josh Alexander (c) vs. Jake Something – For X-Division Title
Impact World Tag Team Championship:
The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) (c) vs. Violent By Design vs. Rich Swann & Willie Mack – for Impact Wrestling World Tag Team Titles
Deonna Purrazzo & Matthew Rehwoldt vs. Melina & Trey Miguel
Decay vs. Tasha Steelz, Savannah Evans, Fallah Bahh & No Way
Triplemania XXIX took place inside Arena Ciudad de México in Azcapotzalco, Mexico City, Mexico. The event featured an AAA Megacampeonato title match between Kenny Omega and Andrade. Also featured on the card was a mask vs. hair match between Psycho Clown and Rey Escorpion.
Impact Knockouts Champion Deoanna Purrazzo shared the ring with AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Faby Apache in a title vs. title match. Also, Fenix and Pentagon defended the AAA Tag Team Titles.
The show even featured a surprise appearance from wrestling legend Ric Flair. Flair was recently released from his WWE contract. Flair was in Andrade’s corner after “El Idolo” had a disagreement with Konnan, who ended up cornering Omega.
Here are quick results for AAA Triplemania XXIX.
Mask vs. Hair: Psycho Clown def. Rey Escorpion
AAA Megacampeonato: Kenny Omega (c) def. Andrade
Lucha de Empresas: La Empresa (Puma King, Sam Adonis, & DMT Azul) def. Team AAA (Pagano, Murder Clown, & Chessman)
AAA Tag Team Championship: Fenix & Pentagon (c) def. Hijo del Vikingo & Laredo Kid, Taurus & Brian Cage
Deonna Purrazzo def. Faby Apache – For Impact Wrestling Knockouts & AAA Reina de Reinas Titles
Deonna Purrazzo has added more gold to her collection.
On the Triplemania XXIX card, Purrazzo competed in a title vs. title match. She put her Impact Wrestling Knockouts Title up for grabs against Faby Apache, who held the AAA Reina de Reinas Title. Purrazzo ended up taking the win and the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship.
Throughout the match, it was quite clear that the referee was in Purrazzo’s pocket. He shoved Apache before the match began and pulled Purrazzo’s hand to the ropes when she was on the receiving end of a submission. He even counted slower when Apache went for pins and faster when Purrazzo attempted pinfalls.
The final straw for Apache was when she went for a move off the top rope but the referee helped Purrazzo back up. Apache nailed the referee with a hurricanrana off the top rope followed by another hurricanrana. Deonna Purrazzo capitalized with a spike package piledriver on Apache followed by the Fujiwara Armbar for the submission victory.
After the match, Purrazzo was handed both titles and she didn’t hesitate to snatch them and pose. Time will tell who in AAA will step up to challenge the newly-minted Reina de Reinas Champion but for now, “The Virtuosa” will enjoy the fruits of her labor.
Purrazzo spoke to the media backstage after her victory. She vows to be a fighting champion.
Impact Wrestling 8/5 featured Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers facing Eddie Edwards, Sami Callihan, and Kazarian in the main event. It also featured Mickie James unveiling Melina as Deonna Purrazzo’s opponent at NWA Empowerrr.
Impact Results 8/5:
Chris Bey defeated Juice Robinson
X-Division #1 Contendership Jake Something defeated Shawn Daivari vs Rohit Raju vs Trey Miguel
Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering defeated Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz)
Steve Maclin defeated Jah-C
Eddie Edwards, Sami Callihan & Kazarian defeated The Elite (Kenny Omega, Karl Anderson, & Doc Gallows)
Chris Bey Beats Juice Robinson, Officially Joins Bullet Club
Chris Bey faced Juice Robinson this week on Impact. He’d pick up one of the biggest wins of his young career but it was in part thanks to some distraction from the outside. Jay White got up on the ring apron, prompting his NJPW Resurgence opponent David Finlay to yank him off the apron. As the two began brawling, it distracted Juice who was then left vulnerable to a springboard cutter from Bey for the win.
After the match, as Bey and White were celebrating on the ramp, White gave Bey a Bullet Club t-shirt, seemingly officially inducting him into the famed faction.
Mickie James Reveals Melina As Deonna Purrazzo’s Empowerrr Opponent
Highlights of Drama King Matt and Deonna Purazzo winning the Homecoming King and Queen tournament from over the weekend were shown. As the two were cutting a promo this week, they were interrupted by Mickie James. Purrazzo wasn’t sure why James was out to interrupt her yet again but Mickie stated that it was to introduce her opponent on the Empowerrr PPV later this month, Melina. The contract is signed and the match is made official for St. Louis at the Chase.
We got a creepy little vignette featuring the former Kimber Lee and Susan. After enlisting the help of Father James Mitchell to bring back Su Yung, Kimber Lee appears to have been transformed into a disciple of hers now. This dark version of Kimber Lee promises to bring her “mother” Su Yung the souls she desires.
Jake Something Earns X-Division Championship Match
X-Division Champion Josh Alexander has defeated all challengers for his belt, even escaping the Ultimate X Match with his title recently. A new #1 contender for the belt was determined this week, however, when Jake Something won a fatal 4-way match against Rohit Raju, Shawn Daivari, and Trey Miguel.
After the match, Daivari challenged Alexander to a non-title match for next week. If he can beat the champion, he’ll be awarded a future title match.
Also, Rohit was mad about the result and tossed a bag backstage. The bag almost hit Chelsea Green, leading Matt Cardona to confront him. That will likely set up something for later.
Tasha Steelz Enlists Help Of Savannah Evans, Ends Tag Team With Kiera Hogan
And just like that, one of the most successful tag-teams in Knockouts history is no more. Fire N Flava are the only 2x winners of the Knockouts tag belts and held the titles for more combined days than any other team in history (aside from ODB and Eric Young, who held the titles for long after they’d stopped being used in the promotion.)
Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace are back on the same page, and they picked up a win over Hogan and Steelz this week, but the real story came after the match. Steelz, evidently seeing the writing on the wall for her team, enlisted the help of the debuting Savannah Evans, who attacked Hogan after the match. A rather mean looking Steelz and Savannah then left the ring area together.
Steve Maclin Is A Dastardly Heel, Petey Williams Makes The Save
Steve Maclin has shown a no-nonsense approach to being a dastardly heel thus far in Impact Wrestling. He made quick work of Jah-C in squash match style but decided to continue the attack after the match. This brought out Petey Williams with a chair to make the save, likely setting up a future match between the two.
Tenille Dashwood Not Impressed With Her Guests On “All About Me” This Week
Dashwood’s talk show where her guests as her questions rather than the other way around didn’t go quite as she planned this week. Scott D’Amore accused Dashwood of phoning border patrol agents to prevent Taylor Wilde from being able to cross the Canada-USA border to attend Impact shows. D’Amore then set up a match between Dashwood and Wilde for next week.
Longtime Impact/TNA veteran Kazarian teamed with Impact stars Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan to go up against the Elite this week. Callihan and Edwards would have to put aside their long-running rivalry and work together. That’s exactly what they did. The finish of the match saw Callihan give Omega a piledriver on the ring apron while in the ring Eddie Edwards hit the Boston Knee Party on Anderson for the win.
Eddie Edwards defeated W. Morrissey in a hardcore match at Homecoming to even their head-to-head series at one win a piece. Morrissey let it be known their rivalry is not over yet, however, as he attacked Edwards after the main event. The show went off the air after Morrissey hit a powerbomb on Edwards.
Several wrestling companies are now walking through wrestling’s “Forbidden Door.” The term used recently to describe talent exchanges between promotions was coined shortly after “Winter is Coming” in December. Kenny Omega won the AEW World Championship and Don Callis promptly announced he would be taking the title with him to Impact’s weekly show.
Promotions such as Impact, the NWA, and Ring of Honor have all been teasing new forbidden door type exchanges online.
AEW’s FTR and The NWA
As for the NWA and AEW’s “forbidden door” relationship, the NWA recently took part in a Twitter exchange with FTR.
If Purrazzo didn’t have enough on her plate, the AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker appears motivated to face her as well. Scott D’Amore recently mentioned on Vickie Guerrero’s podcast that Baker cornered him regarding a match with the Knockouts Champ.
“I got cornered by Britt Baker down in Jacksonville a few weeks ago and she’s like, ‘When do I get Deonna?’ I said, ‘Hey, Britt oh, come on. We’ve always said we have an open-door policy and we’re open to doing it,’” D’Amore said on the show.
Impact, the NWA, and Kylie Rae
According to a report from Fightful, Pat Kenney was a key person in the deal that allowed Kylie Rae out of her Impact contract in order to sign with the NWA. The former Simon Diamond was employed by TNA/Impact from 2003 to 2017 and keeps a good relationship with Scott D’Amore. Additionally, Impact is said to be planning further talent-hopping relationships with other promotions in the future.
ROH, NWA, and Impact All Tweeting At Each Other
ROH’s Ian Riccaboni pointed out that upcoming shows in St. Louis (NWA), Baltimore (ROH), and Nashville (Impact) can fit tidily into one road trip.
Impact Wrestling executive Scott D’Amore appeared on Vickie Guerrero’s Excuse Me podcast yesterday. During the discussion, D’Amore mentioned that he was cornered by AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker for a match against Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo.
“I got cornered by Britt Baker down in Jacksonville a few weeks ago and she’s like, ‘When do I get Deonna?’ I said, ‘Hey, Britt oh, come on. We’ve always said we have an open-door policy and we’re open to doing it,'” D’Amore said on the show.
“Sometimes there’s a lot of hurdles to jump through but I think the relationship with AEW has been fantastic,” he continued.
Baker has made no secret of the fact that she would like to face Purrazzo. She’s posted to social media about the potential match multiple times.
— Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (@RealBrittBaker) June 3, 2021
Britt Baker Wants To Face Deonna Purrazzo
Baker also discussed possibly facing Purrazzo during an interview with TV Insider.
“Personally, I would love to see Deonna Purrazzo come through the forbidden door. She is one of my best friends and arguably one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. She is amazing.. When she was released from WWE, she was told in a roundabout way she wasn’t good enough. Now she is one of the faces in Impact Wrestling. I was similar in that I was told I wasn’t ready, and now I’m the face of All Elite Wrestling. Our paths are paralleling, so it would be amazing to be in the ring with her.”
D’Amore continued to talk about his relationship with AEW’s Tony Khan.
“We share our vision for a world like that and I love to see it because I mean whether it’s Nyla Rose or whether it’s some of the many other talents that you have there. Imagine if Nyla came in and hid the ring on Deonna and just laid her lying there and picked up the title, right?”
Purrazzo is scheduled to face a “Mystery Opponent” this Saturday at Slammiversary. Gail Kim revealed to the Knockouts Champ last week that her opponent will not be named ahead of time.
Impact Wrestling continues to build up the idea that anyone could show up at Slammiversary. This week on Impact Wrestling, Gail Kim informed Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo that she will not know who her opponent on the PPV will be ahead of time. She’ll be defending her title against a mystery opponent.
This has led many people to speculate as to who could be brought in to face the champion on the PPV. There is no shortage of possible options.
BREAKING: @DeonnaPurrazzo will defend the Knockouts Championship against a MYSTERY OPPONENT at #Slammiversary on July 17th LIVE on PPV and @FiteTV!
Former Knockouts Champion, Chelsea Green, is heavily rumored to return to her former promotion. Green returning to Impact was addressed recently in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“Chelsea Green has been heavily talked of as coming back here of late and even hinted herself about the idea of bringing back Laurel Van Ness, which was her Impact name,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo will face Tenille Dashwood tonight at Rebellion. She appeared on Busted Open Radio recently and spoke about the PPV. Additionally, she also discussed which recently released WWE Superstars she would like to see in Impact Wrestling.
“Everyone that this happened to last year, myself included, has kind of found a new home and landed on their feet and been successful,” Purrazzo said referencing her release from WWE in 2020 (transcriptions via 411Mania). “So, I think this had to happen to the next round of people, and we set that template of it’s going to be OK, you will be successful and thrive wherever you land.”
“Obviously, I want my best friend Chelsea Green to come back to Impact. Mickie James is a former Knockouts Champion. And then I also love Cassie and Billie as individuals and as a tag team. I think of those four we would benefit tremendously from and vice versa.”
Purrazzo continued to say that as the Forbidden Door has been kicked open, she wants to defend the Knockouts belt across multiple promotions.
“Wrestling isn’t the boys club anymore. I want our Knockouts Championship to be contended for all over the world,” Purrazzo continued. “I know that whoever is in charge of the AEW women’s division and Tony Khan want their championship to be held in the same contention. So, if we can have Kenny vs. Rich, champion vs. champion, why can’t we have Deonna vs. Shida? Our division is continuously growing and is one of the best in the world. Their division, in the same light, is continuously growing and is becoming one of the best in the world. There is no lose-lose, no matter what the match is between Impact’s women’s division and AEW’s women’s division.”
Deonna Purrazzo recently did an interview The Sun where she talked about her career so far and touched on her time working with WWE. She also talked about her decision to return to Impact Wrestling after her stint with WWE. Purrazzo said that after her NXT non-compete clause ended, she wanted to explore all options and Impact seemed to be the best fit for her. According to her, everything with the company worked out perfectly and lined up time wise.
This would work out for Deonna Purrazzo as she would go on to become the Knockouts Champion twice. “I think because I was already feeling unsure if I wanted to stay in WWE, it was kind of the right time to move on,” she said. “As much as it was scary at the time, I definitely feel like I gave my all to that adventure [NXT] and I’m better for it but moving on was what was best for me in every aspect of my life.”
Deonna Purrazzo was released from WWE along with 18 other main roster wrestlers on April 15. Speaking on her WWE release, she said that she was unhappy with the company for the last six months of her tenure at NXT. She told officials that she’d rather be released than stay and do nothing. Speaking about the backstage culture at NXT, she revealed that it was one where everyone was expected to just be to be there. According to Purrazzo, everyone there is supposed to just be grateful for what they get. The Knockouts Champion said she wasn’t happy with her position because she worked hard just to get there. She suggested a lot of character ideas that but they all fell on deaf years.
Purrazzo’s last match for the company was on the April 6th, 2020 edition of Raw. During her time with the WWE, she only had 16 televised matches. As for now in Impact, she retained her title in a match against ODB at the Sacrifice pay-per-view event on Saturday.
The reigning Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion spoke about Impact’s women’s division and wanting to work with several competitors in WWE and AEW. Video of the full episode can be found below.
Purrazzo touted the depth of Impact’s knockouts division. “There are so many of those matches with Impact and our roster right now,” she said. “The first person that comes to mind is Tasha Steelz just because we’ve traveled together, trained together, and I just think it’s come full circle for us to be in the same company at the same time. So, first and foremost, it’s always Tasha.”
She also named Kiera Hogan, Naveah and Tenille Dashwood as standouts.
I love WOMEN’S WRESTLING as much as the next person… But being a WOMEN’S WRESTLER has give me the confidence to LOVE MYSELF just as much. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7BVgNXWlm2
Purrazzo spoke of a women’s dream match featuring herself, Britt Baker, Chelsea Green and Karen Q vs. WWE’s Four Horsewomen.
“I feel like it’s a cliche answer, but I also feel like each of us individually have like a dream match with these people. So, I feel like us four versus the Four Horsewomen – Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky [Lynch] – those four. I think we each would like to wrestle one day or if that opportunity presented itself, it would be a dream match for us. So I’m gonna go with that, whether that’s cliche or not.”
Impact & AEW
Finally, Impact Wrestling’s partnership with AEW opens up the possibility for several inter-promotional matches. Purrazzo has been vocal about wanting to wrestle AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida. She’d also like to work with her best friend, Dr. Brit Baker, in some capacity.
“I’ve not been shy about wanting to have champion vs. champion against Hikaru Shida. I would absolutely love that. I think she’s absolutely phenomenal. She’s kind of been just this strong champion and fixture of their women’s division in AEW. I would absolutely love that if we’re going to do crossover with women. Obviously, Britt Baker is my best friend, so I don’t want to wrestle her, but I’d love to tag with her.”
It was then reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, that Cutler was released due to attending a New Year’s Eve party and catching COVID-19.
“This was said to be a disciplinary reason that got Vince McMahon livid when he heard about it,” wrote Dave Meltzer. The report would continue to say that Vince promised guys like Roman Reigns a safe environment to return to.
“The belief is that it had to do with his New Year’s Eve party that led to that and that McMahon had promised a few wrestlers like Reigns a safe environment when he returned and Cutler was around all the talent,” Meltzer continued.
Purrazzo then recently took to Twitter to comment on a report regarding Cutler’s release.
We attended a NYE party, like dozens of other people.
When Steve tested positive prior to SD, he was sent home and immediately started quarantine. He was NOT at work while being positive.
“My reasoning is I was at a party w/ people who I’ve spent the ENTIRE last year w/ & who are tested every week. The worst case scenario happened. Once we were aware, we took every precaution to test & quarantine properly. Articles insinuating otherwise are FALSE,” she also Tweeted.
In other Deonna Purrazzo related news, her dog built a new fort recently:
IMPACT Wrestling Women’s Champion Deonna Purrazzo recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The Virtuosa would discuss a number of topics on the show, including how she now feels ‘fulfilled’ in her professional wrestling career.
Co-host of the show Bully Ray would mention how Deonna was far more jovial during the interview than she had been just a year prior speaking to Busted Open. When asked why, The Virtuosa said “part of it is just feeling fulfilled in your professional role. I think it takes such a mental toll on you when you’re not happy with what you’re doing. When you’re not happy with your life’s work.”
Deonna Purrazzo on IMPACT
“All I’ve ever wanted to be? Was a wrestler” Deonna Purrazzo continued. “So you know, I felt so stifled by not being able to just wrestle. And now the fact that on a daily basis I’m featured either wrestling, or in backstage segments? I’m growing as a professional every week and we get to see that every week. It is exactly what I needed to be able to take myself to the next level.”
Deonna then finished by saying how IMPACT ‘reignited’ a flame in her love for professional wrestling. “Just like personally? It has helped to take me to the next level. It’s reignited a flame for my love for wrestling, for my love for myself, my love of bettering my life outside of wrestling. So I feel like 100% a brand new Deonna Purrazzo from this time last year, to who I am now.”
The IMPACT Women’s Champion will be defending her belt tonight at IMPACT’s Hard To Kill PPV. The Virtuosa will be defending the title against Taya Valkyrie.
Do you think that Deonna Purrazzo leaves Hard To Kill with the IMPACT Women’s Championship tonight? Let us know in the comments
This year has been my most challenging. To finish 2020 as WRESTLER OF THE YEAR only validates every trial & tribulation I’ve faced to date.
I’ve been true to myself & true to my craft and for that, I’m most proud.
Impact Wrestling named its “Best of 2020” Awards during this week’s Impact on AXS TV. Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo was the big winner, scoring honors for not only Knockout of the Year but also Wrestler of the Year.
July’s Slammiversary pay-per-view was “Moment of the Year” and that show’s main event was Match of the Year.
Here is the full list of winners:
Wrestler of the Year: Deonna Purrazzo
Tag-Team of the Year: The North
Knockout of the Year: Deonna Purrazzo
X-Division Wrestler of the Year: Ace Austin
Moment of the Year: Slammiversary 2020
Match of the Year: Eric Young vs. Rich Swann vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey Miguel (Slammiversary)
Deonna Purrazzo Reacts
Deonna Purrazzo commented on Impact Wrestling recognizing her greatness. She wrote,
“This year has been my most challenging. To finish 2020 as WRESTLER OF THE YEAR only validates every trial & tribulation I’ve faced to date. I’ve been true to myself & true to my craft and for that, I’m most proud. Welcome, EVERYONE, to the Age of the #Virtuosa”
Congratulations to Deonna Purrazzo.
This year has been my most challenging. To finish 2020 as WRESTLER OF THE YEAR only validates every trial & tribulation I’ve faced to date.
I’ve been true to myself & true to my craft and for that, I’m most proud.
Deonna Purrazzo retained the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Championship at Saturday night’s Final Resolution event. Earlier this week, she spoke with Wrestling Epicenter about the current storyline with Don Callis & Kenny Omega, her plans for 2021 and much more.
Impact Wrestling viewership spiked this week on AXS TV, thanks in part to the involvement of AEW World Champion Kenny Omega. Purrazzo said Tuesday’s show was “definitely eye-opening” and thinks the entire wrestling industry is shifting. She thinks that AEW working with Impact Wrestling presents some exciting opportunities for the months ahead.
“I think it is amazing when people are able to put aside their differences, whatever they are, to work towards a common goal,” she began. “I don’t know what this is leading to. I don’t know what Kenny Omega and Don Callis have planned as far as cross-promotion or whatever it is. But, I’m real excited to see what is going to happen in the near future.”
Many fans believe that Impact Wrestling has one of the strongest women’s divisions anywhere. Naturally, as the champion of that division, Deonna Purrazzo agrees.
“Head to toe, there is not one woman on the roster that I do not want to be in the ring with,” she said. “There is not one person who I don’t think brings something different to the table. I speak about it all the time. I can’t tell you how incredible I think our women’s division, the Knockouts division, is.”
She also commented on the downsides of social media, including trolls who body shame female wrestlers. “There was one person who tweeted to me that I needed to lose 30 pounds and do some squats,” she revealed.
“That struck me because I was a little girl that grew up wanting to be a wrestler in a time where women’s wrestlers were size 0 models and they weren’t real women who came in a variety of sizes and shapes. For me, 30 pounds is a lot of weight! I’m not unrealistic with myself. I’ve been through the ringer with anxiety and depression and reclaiming my emotional health and my mental health this year. All of those things contribute to what your physical health looks like.”
Both Serena Deeb and Deonna Purrazzo have pulled out of upcoming events due to concerns relating to COVID-19.
In the case of Deeb, the recent AEW signee was scheduled to face Allysin Kay on the next episode of the NWA/UWN weekly PPV series. She put out a statement noting that she had come into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus and will be self-quarantining as a result, however.
Serena Deeb released a statement that she is self-quaranting after coming in contact with someone with COVID-19, she will be replaced by @NikiMSavo in her match with @Sienna on #PrimeTimeLive.
The NWA has since announced that Nicole Savoy will replace Deeb against Allysin Kay on the show.
As for Impact Knockouts Champion, Deonna Purrazzo, she noted on Twitter recently that she is pulling out of an upcoming Game Changer Wrestling show. Purrazzo will face Kylie Rae at Bound For Glory on October 24th, 2020 and wants to make sure she does not have to miss the event.
“Unfortunately, I’ve made the decision to cancel my shows for The Collective weekend. With BFG coming up, my highest priority needs to be staying healthy and leaving adequate time self-isolate, if need be. This is just precautionary. I’ll see y’all soon, I promise. Stay safe!” Purrazzo Tweeted.
Unfortunately, I’ve made the decision to cancel my shows for The Collective weekend.
With BFG coming up, my highest priority needs to be staying healthy and leaving adaquant time self-isolate, if need be.
This is just precautionary. I’ll see y’all soon, I promise ?? Stay safe!
Additionally, Ben Carter, who recently performed for AEW on the 1-hour Dynamite special on Tuesday and on AEW Dark, noted that he has tested positive for the virus. It’s been a week of highs and lows for him. Carter posted the following to announce his positive test:
Impact Wrestling on August 25th, 2020 featured the second night of Emergence. The show was headlined by a 30-Minute Ironman match between Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and former champ Jordynne Grace.
Impact Results 8/25:
Impact World Championship Eddie Edwards defeated Rob Van Dam
Wrestle House Blindfold Match Crazzy Steve defeated Johnny Swinger
Deonna Purrazzo Retains In 30-Minute Ironman Match
After an epic encounter at Slammiversary, the current champ and the former champ clashed under Ironman rules to headline Emergence night 2.
Purrazzo would begin focussing on the hand and arm of her challenger. The bulk of her attack continued to be on Grace’s limb as the match pushed across the 20-minute mark with no falls yet recorded. Grace began mounting a comeback as we approached 5-minutes left. She locked in a rear-naked choke in the center of the ring causing the champion to fade. Purrazzo’s arm dropped 3 times and the ref signalled that Grace had won the first fall.
With time running out, the champion had to work fast or lose her title. She landed a knee lift and quickly locked in a submission. Grace would reach the ropes, however, causing the break. With 2-minutes left Grace accidentally hit the ref in the corner. She then hit Purrazzo with a Grace Driver but the ref was down. As Grace went to help the ref, Purrazzo picked up the title belt and hit Grace with it and covered her to get the pin.
With a minute left and the score tied, Purrazzo fought feverishly to lock in the arm bar on Grace. She briefly got Grace in the Venus de Milo but transitioned to the Fujiwara armbar with seconds to go. Grace tapped and Purrazzo would retain.
Eddie Edwards Defeats Rob Van Dam, Attacked By Eric Young
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbI_gVT5pRk
Eddie Edwards kicked off Impact this week with his world title open challenge. Former TNA World Champion Rob Van Dam answered the call along with Katie Forbes. RVD looked like he might have the title won at one point too. He hit a jumping kick from the top, followed by Rolling Thunder, and then he looked to put things away with the 5-Star Frog Splash. Edwards moved out of the way, however, and then hit the challenger with a Boston Knee Party for the win.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do08V2_qLfY
After the match, Eric Young came out from the back and attacked Edwards from behind. Young said that Edwards will face him next week.
A few segments later, Edwards came back to the ring and cut a promo on Young. He told Young to come out “right here, right now.” Young came out and said the match will happen next week as he planned. Edwards said that was fine but his ass-kicking would start now and a pull-apart began. During the melee, Young shoved Scott D’Amore to the ground.
Later in the show, Sami Callihan appeared in a vignette. He said that the reason RVD lost this match was that he is in his head. Callihan also said that he’s in Katie Forbes’ head as well. This all stems from Callihan interrupting Katie Forbes’ new website reveal a few weeks back after the two had an altercation in the back. Callihan promised to be there next week to kick RVD’s ass.
EC3 Says He Will Destroy The TNA World Heavyweight Title
"Destroying this title is the only way I'll be free."
Last week, EC3 attacked Moose and took possession of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. He has been saying that he must destroy his past and the TNA title is a big part of that. He cut a promo this week saying he plans to destroy the title but he’s not yet sure how to go about doing that in a fitting way.
Wrestle House: Throw Powder In Someone’s Eyes and Yell “Fuji!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipd5vaItKp4
There was a toga party at Wrestle House this week. Also, the Deaners discovered a fun game where you throw powder in someone’s eyes and then yell “Fuji!” The team again confronted Acey Romero about having stolen their beer but again the Team XXXL member says he didn’t take it. The mystery of the missing beer continues.
Swinger attempted to hit Larry D with a “Fuji” but he hit Crazzy Steve instead. This led to Swinger and Crazzy Steve having a blindfold match at Wrestle House. The stipulation was added that the loser had to dress like the winner next week. Swinger was at quite the disadvantage as Crazzy Steve is already legally blind. Steve used a bike horn to distract Swinger and eventually picked up the victory with a roll-up.
Wrestle House: John E Bravo Confronts Lawrence D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMkfE5nBB1I
Also on Wrestle House this week, Lawrence D and Rosemary went on a date. This is all a ploy from Rosemary to make John E Bravo jealous, however. Rosemary is interested in John E Bravo because several weeks ago some tarot cards told her to be.
John E Bravo confronted Lawrence D before the date could begin and it led to a match. Lawrence made quick work of Bravo with a headbutt followed by a punch to the face for the win.
After the match, Bravo admitted to Taya that he has feelings for Rosemary. A drunken “Toga” Valkyrie did not like this news. She got in Rosemary’s face and blamed her for everything, saying she is jealous of her. Taya challenged Rosemary to a match next week in a “Winner Takes All” match and “All” includes John E. Bravo.
Brian Myers Picks Up A Win Over Willie Mack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twsKXLRH5EM
The Most Professional Wrestler Brian Myers and Willie Mack had an altercation in the back last week leading to this match. Myers hijacked an interview featuring Willie Mack talking about his injured partner, Rich Swann. Mack then attacked Myers in response and the end result is this week’s match.
Myers resulted to under-handed tactics to gain the victory, grabbing a handful of trunks on the pinning combination.
Rhino was jumped by Reno Scum recently. The team was hired by Hernandez to get his money back after Rhino and him had a gambling dispute. Rhino cut a promo backstage hoping that his tag team partner, Heath, would team with him next week. For that to happen, however, Heath will have to be hired by Impact.
Heath purchased advertising again this time to promote the “Heath4Impact” hashtag and encouraged fans to use it so that he gets hired by Impact.
IMPACT Wrestling held their Slammiversary PPV event this past weekend. The show saw a number of talents make their return, such as the Motor City Machine Guns, Eric Young and Gallows & Anderson.
One of the unexpected twists from the event saw Deonna Purrazzo defeat Jordynne Grace by submission to become the new IMPACT Knockouts Champion.
Deonna Purrazzo has been appearing for the company without an actual contract in place, per Fightful. This led many to believe that Purrazzo would not be winning this weekend, as why would IMPACT put their top Women’s Championship on a performer working without a full-time deal set in stone?
Even after winning the title, Purrazzo is still reportedly working on a ‘per-appearance’ basis. This with no full-time deal in place. This could mean that she is free to appear for any other company whilst holding one of IMPACT’s top titles.
IMPACT Wrestling have reportedly looked to the free agency market to bolster their roster over the coming weeks.
Fightful recently reported that the AXS TV hosted brand are specifically looking at recently released WWE talents. With former NXT Superstar Deonna Purrazzo having already debuted there’s a chance that other released Superstars aren’t far behind.
Gallows and Anderson to IMPACT
Arguably the two biggest names, already somewhat confirmed, are Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. The former Bullet Club and OC stablemates have teased heading to AXS TV over the last few weeks, with a return to New Japan Pro Wrestling also on the horizon for the two. There have been teases for the two on IMPACT recently, with Scott D’more stating that he was on a call to some “Good Brothers.”
As we reported recently, EC3 has sent a stark warning to the AEW roster; seemingly showing his intent to debut for the TNT hosted company in the near future. IMPACT themselves have teased the arrival of EC3 over the past month, and there’s a good chance that Ethan Carter III makes his way back to the brand that elevated him to main event status.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MieE1M_b5o
Eric Young
Another name that is being considered is Eric Young. EY was once viewed as a stalwart an ‘lifer’ at TNA/IMPACT, having been a lower to mid card level comedy act with Team Canada before rising the ranks and winning the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in 2014; defeating now NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis.
There has not been any confirmation on whether Heath Slater will be heading to IMPACT in the near future. Slater’s former tag team partner Rhyno teased that he had a tag team partner who’s “got kids.” So there’s a more than good chance he’ll be coming into the fold.
There’s not much opportunity of these talents ‘moving the needle’ for IMPACT if they’re brought to AXS TV. However, all five are competent performers who have the benefit of being ‘underutilized’ by WWE over the past few years. This gives IMPACT the opportunity to really highlight the abilities of Gallows, Anderson, EC3, Young and Slater and it not feel like they’re purely taking scraps from WWE’s table.
Who would you like to see IMPACT bring into the company in the coming weeks? Let us know in the comments
A lot of people expected former NXT star Deonna Purrazzo to end up in AEW after her recent release from WWE but she ended up joining Impact Wrestling instead.
The female star recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet where she talked about her decision to join Impact and revealed if she had any talks with the upstart promotion.
Purrazzo revealed that some people from All Elite Wrestling had reached out to her but there was no definite offer while Impact officials offered her security:
“I mean like, some people had reached out, but it was all kind of like fleeting, there was no like, ‘You’re gonna have a meeting’ or, ‘We’re gonna sit down and do this.’
Luckily, I had been to Impact before, I know the people there and it was right away like, ‘We’d like to have you, let’s talk about it when we can.’ It was just more of a secure thing.”
Deonna Purrazzo later explained that the decision is for herself as well because she wants to find happiness in wrestling again and work on things she lacked as a performer in NXT before joining a mainstream company like AEW.
Though she didn’t deny the possibility of going to AEW in future mentioning how there are many girls in the roster of the company she hasn’t gotten the chance to work with.
Deonna Purrazzo made her debut on Impact Wrestling this week. The former NXT star is now scheduled to challenge Impact Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace for her title at the upcoming Slammiversary PPV on July 18.
Impact Wrestling 6/9 featured an update on the Impact World Championship scenario. The promotion also continued to tease that several wrestlers recently released from WWE could be on their way to the promotion.
Impact Wrestling 6/9 Quick Results:
Michael Elgin defeated Sami Callihan vs Ken Shamrock
Tasha Steelz w/Kiera Hogan defeated Susie
Willie Mack & Cousin Jake defeated Chris Bey & Johnny Swinger
Jacob Crist w/Joey Ryan, Rob Van Dam, & Katie Forbes defeated Crazzy Steve
“The Virtuoso” Deonna Purrazzo had been advertised to appear on this week’s show but as we went to the night’s main event, she had yet to be seen. Attempts to interview her backstage had proved to be difficult.
The night’s main event was a match originally planned for Rebellion. It pitted the longest-reigning Knockouts champion in history, Taya Valkyrie, against the current champion and the woman who took the title off of her, Jordynne Grace. During the match, Taya was not able to get the usual help she’s often been able to rely on from John E. Bravo. The former corrupt referee was distracted by his budding romance with Rosemary on the outside. This led to Grace securing the tap-out from a rear-naked-choke/sleeper hold.
After the match, Purazzo’s music hit and the 26-year-old confronted the champion. She went to shake Grace’s hand but locked her in an armbar instead. Purrazzo then stood over the champion to end the show.
5-Way Championship Match Booked For Slammiversary
Scott D’Amore came out to the ring this week to address the Impact World title situation. He was interrupted by several wrestlers who feel they should be in-line to compete for the championship. This included Ace Austin, who believed D’Amore should just hand the title over to him since he won the #1 Contenders tournament.
D’Amore, however, announced that Tessa Blanchard will be at Slammiversary and she’ll defend the title against 4 challengers in a 5-way match at the PPV. Trey Miguel was announced as in the match just before he came off the ropes to attack Ace Austin. It’s largely assumed at this point that Austin is the one who attacked Trey before he was to compete in the finals of the #1 Contenders tournament.
Eddie Edwards, Michael Elgin, Trey Miguel, Ace Austin and champion Tessa Blanchard will all face off for the belt at Slammiversary.
During a backstage segment this week, Rohit Raju confronted Rhino backstage. Raju told Rhino he should be treating him like a tag-team partner. Rhino responded that he already has a tag-team partner, and his partner “has kids.”
Was this a tease that Rhino’s former tag-team partner Heath Slater is on his way to Impact Wrestling? Slater and Rhino are former Smackdown tag-team champions.
Raju and Rhino brawled to end the segment. A match between the two has been scheduled for next week.
Mike Bennett, Maria Kanellis, and EC3 Featured In “Flashback of the Week”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-QTi0dS89s
During the Flashback Moment of the Week (the one that aired on Twitch anyway) EC3, Mike Bennett, and Maria Kanellis were featured. All 3 were recently released by WWE and their 90-day no-compete clauses will be up in time for them to appear for Impact on July 18th at Slammiversary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gyo1iQxjag&t=13s
Could we see “The Miracle” return to Impact Wrestling? EC3 is a former Impact World Champion and has been heavily teased as someone who could appear at Slammiversary.
"You know us Canadians, we've always been team players."
Impact also dropped a hint that maybe Eric Young is returning to the promotion. Elgin was shown on his phone at the very end of the episode and said something along the lines of “You know us Canadians, we’ve always been team players.” Young is a former member of Team Canada in the promotion.
Michael Elgin Wins, Shamrock vs Callihan Not Over
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0U55UeiK-4
Michael Elgin picked up a big win this week to kick off the show. This triple threat featured 3 of the top ranked male single’s stars in the promotion, so the win here is likely what helped get him booked in the 5-way championship match at Slammiversary mentioned earlier.
Elgin threw Shamrock into an exposed turnbuckle before taking Callihan out with a strike. He then hit a sit-down power bomb on Shamrock for the win.
After the match, Callihan and Shamrock stared each other down before Callihan caused the lights to go out and then disappeared.
Chris Bey and Willie Mack seem to be on a collision course for the next big X-Division title tilt. This week, however, Mack and Cousin Jake teamed up to defeat Bey and his run-in buddy Johnny Swinger. Mack picked up the victory for his team with a Stunner on Swinger.
After the match, however, Swinger and Bey tried to beat down their opponents but Cody Deaner returned from quarantine and made the save. Mack, Jake, and Deaner celebrated to end the segment.
Cancel Culture Picks Up Win Over “Mentally Unwell Steve”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=achftV6MUuE
Joseph P. Ryan of Cancel Culture gave a speech before the newest member of Cancel Culture, Jacob Crist, took on Crazzy Steve. Ryan suggested that the name “Crazzy Steve” is “problematic” and referred to him as “Mentally Unwell Steve.” He was flanked by the other members of Cancel Culture, Katie Forbes & Rob Van Dam as well.
During the match, Ryan distracted Steve with something on his iPad, which allowed Crist to hit a leg lariat for the win.
Next Week On Impact Wrestling
The following matches have been booked for next week’s show:
Rohit Raju vs Rhino
TNA World Heavyweight Championship Moose (c) vs Hernandez
Street Fight Ace Austin vs Eddie Edwards
Impact Tag Team Championships The North (c) vs The Rascalz (Wentz & Dez)
It appears that the recently released WWE NXT star Deonna Purrazzo has made her mind about her future and she is all set to join Impact Wrestling very soon.
The company aired a vignette on her during this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling. In the video she claimed that she is a Virtuosa who expresses outstanding technical abilities.
The former WWE star also confirmed the news on Twitter with a post about Impact. You can check out Purrazzo’s post and the video hyping her Impact debut below:
Deonna Purrazzo made several WWE appearances during the same time period as well before she officially signed a contract with the company in May 2018.
She competed in the second Mae Young Classic tournament after joining the company officially. Though she didn’t wrestle a lot for the promotion and the former NXT star only had 16 televised matches in WWE before being released earlier last month.
The released NXT stars have a 30 days non compete clause opposed to the 90 days period required for the main roster stars which means that the released stars from the Black and Yellow brand are all free to sign with any promotion they like.
