By Scott Cronick
Wrestling, for me, brings back such nostalgic, happy times in my youth.
When I was a teen, I worked for the Catholic Youth Center in Scranton, Pa., where we held a WWF card once a month or so. I have so many stories, but it was nothing for me to get towels for my wrestling idols Don Muraco and Rowdy Roddy Piper, or get yelled at by the rude but legendary Andre the Giant. Side note: I own a pair of awesome Andre the Giant socks.
Perhaps my favorite story is when former WWF champ Bob Backlund asked if I could take him and George “The Animal” Steel bowling on the lanes that were downstairs. I obliged, of course, made them soft pretzels (in the microwave), and took score while they both showed some impressive skills on the lanes.
So, while wrestling isn’t as important to me as it once was, I still enjoy it occasionally, including recently watching WWE’s Wrestlemania.
Deonna Purrazzo took her childhood affinity for wrestling and never lost the passion for it.
And wrestling fans — whether casual like me or devoted lifers — will get to see her and a slew of muscular, dynamic, talented wrestlers square off 7 p.m. Saturday at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City as All Elite Wrestling: Collision arrives for a night of family fun.
For those not in the know, the AEW is big and getting bigger every day. The entertainment company was founded in 2019 by Tony Khan, who is also the face of the Jacksonville, Fla.-based company much like Vince McMahon was for the WWE for decades.
Since its inception, the AEW has featured big names including former WWE champ Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega and Matt and Nick Jackson, who are also co-founders. The AEW is available in 220 territories in 50 languages worldwide with an estimated value of $2 billion. In other words, the AEW is no longer considered an independent start-up; it’s a major competitor of the WWE and is the second largest wrestling company in the world with major talent that has wrestled for it, including CM Punk Chris Jericho, Toni Storm and Sting.
And Deonna Purrazzo.
A Jersey girl, Purrazzo was born in Livingston in a close Italian family, including a twin brother, Dominic. She went to wrestling school right out of high school and quickly climbed in popularity and success, eventually wrestling for TNA, Ring of Honor, Japanese Promoter World Wonder Ring Stardom, TNA — later named Impact Wrestling — and the WWE. She has held several championships during her career, but since joining them in 2022, she has still not put an AEW belt around her waist … something she hopes to rectify sooner than later, whether as a solo wrestler or part of The Vendetta, a tag team with Taya Valkyrie that has become one of AEW’s star teams.
She is known as “The Virtuosa,” a nickname she chose to reflect her technical abilities in the ring while also showing off her femininity and elegance.
But through and through, she’s a Jersey girl. When asked what her dream walk-on music would be, she didn’t hesitate: “The theme song from ‘The Sopranos!’” she said immediately, referring to “Woke Up This Morning” by Alabama 3. “Hands down, yes!”
Through her career, she has not only won championships, but tons of acclaim. She was named Wrestler of the Year in the East Coast Wrestling Association in 2016, a year which she also won Match of the Year; ESPN ranked her No. 25 in the Top 30 Best Pro Wrestlers Under 30 in 2023; Wrestler of the Year in 2020 by Impact Wrestling; and Women of Honors Wrestler of the Year in 2017 for Ring of Honor, which is now owned by AEW; and ranked No. 3 and 7 Top Women Wrestlers by Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
In this interview, Purrazzo talks about her career, what’s it like returning home to Jersey, being married to a fellow wrestler — Steve Maclin from TNA — and what you can expect at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday night.
Q: So what’s it going to be like returning to your home state when you come to Atlantic City?
A: I grew up a little bit more north, so Atlantic City is a bit of a trip, but I am hoping some friends and family can make it and there to cheer me on. It’s been incredible. Coming to AEW has been a definite goal of mine, and what’s so interesting is when I joined last January, we were able to have my debut in New Jersey and was able to have my parents, my in-laws and my husband there … all in the front row cheering me on. So, it always feels like a bit of a homecoming no matter where we are in the state.
Q: So, who will you battle on Saturday?
A: I don’t know as of now, so I feel like we are both going to be surprised. It’s different week to week. Sometimes we know in advance (who we are fighting), and sometimes we don’t, but that’s the nature of the industry and figuring it out as we go on that day. Our entire roster is filled with such great challengers, so it doesn’t really matter who you are going to be across from. We are confident we are going to put on a great show no matter what.
Q: A lot of people grow up dreaming they are going to be a firefighter or police officer, but you dreamed of being a wrestler?
A: For me, my dream was to be a professional wrestler. I was 9 years old when I told (my parents) I wanted to be a wrestler one day, and I think they thought I would maybe grow out of that. I never did. I started wrestling the minute I got out of high school at 18 years old. This is all I ever wanted to do.
Q: And your parents supported you?
A: Oh my God, absolutely! My mom always supported the dream. She sat and watched wrestling with me and really got into it like I did growing up. It took my dad a little longer. It wasn’t until he actually came to a Ring of Honor at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City and saw me wrestle live for the first time in a Ring of Honor environment in a big arena, and he was like, “Wow! I think I get it now.” And he has come to every event that has been in the northeast since. He was at AEW at the Prudential Center (in Newark) last January when I debuted for AEW, and he came to the back after my segment and he said, “I think I’m a wrestling fan now!” So, he definitely got into it.
Q: Is it hard for them to watch you in action?
A: My mom and mother-in-law definitely still cringe when they see me or my husband wrestle. They are not fully used to it. And they want to know … “How do I know you are going to be OK? Can you give us a wink or something when you are out there, so we know?” I am like, “No, just enjoy it.” So, it’s harder for them, but this year has been 13 years, so they are slowly adjusting.
Q: What’s it like being married to a fellow wrestler?
A: It works out really well for us because our schedules are different, and because we both wrestle, we understand each other’s lifestyles. My husband is prior military, so his parents are used to him getting roughed up and traveling and things like that. So, it has been a continuous lifestyle for him and his family
Q: What’s it like now that you are successful compared to those early days starting out and struggling to get noticed?
A: When I was younger — from 18 to my early 20s — I would have a goal in mind and that was solely focused on making myself a successful professional wrestler. Now that I have done that and competed at such a high level for so many years, I am able to sit back and enjoy the ride a little bit more and enjoy the journey and be able to take myself out of wrestling a little bit and have other interests and hobbies. So, I think that’s been a really important part of my life the past few years.
Q: And that includes going back to school?
A: I went back to school (and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in History at Southern New Hampshire University), and I am now working on my master’s degree. It was definitely something I always wanted to do.
I graduated high school and went right into wrestling school at 18. I was also at the time trying to go to community college part time and working part time to afford to be able to wrestle. And, at 20 years old I had to give up something, and unfortunately for me, that was school because I thought I could always go back but I only had a short time to make it successfully in professional wrestling, especially as a woman.
So, back in 2020 during the pandemic, I had more time to dedicate to something else, and I chose to go to school then. It took 3½ years to get my Bachelor’s in History. Now that I am with AEW, they actually encourage you to continue your education and have programs in place for us for tuition reimbursement and things like that, so I thought it would be a great time to go and get my Master’s, so I started that program three semesters ago at Liberty University.
I wanted to prove it to myself, but I know that I can’t wrestle forever – none of us can — so what does my family’s life look like when I am done wrestling? So, having a Bachelor’s and soon hopefully a Master’s … all that will come into play for my post wrestling life. I am not quite sure yet what that is. I haven’t pinpointed it yet. I loved teaching. Before wrestling took off, I was a preschool teacher for about 3½ years, and I loved that so much. So, it might be teaching. I would love to teach history to middle school students or with a Master’s, I can teach online … something like that would definitely interest me.
Q: Will we see The Vendetta tag team this weekend?
A: Like I said, we are not sure yet, but there is always a possibility you will see The Vendetta. We are always looking to collect and let people know what we are all about.
Q: What has it been like with the AEW?
A: I think as our company continues to grow, more eyes are being brought to our product, and that’s what it’s all about. I will continue to get people out and come see our show and make lifelong fans of professional wrestling, and AEW’s existence goes against established norms in professional wrestling, and we always like to push the envelope and find new, creative ways to get wrestling into the mainstream. And having a platform like HBO Max (which AEW recently signed a contract with) will do that for us.
Q: Have your family and friends gotten used to you being battered, bloody and bruised?
A: My finishing move in wrestling is more technical and is called the Venus de Milo, which is a version of the Fujiwara armbar where I basically take both of your arms and tie them behind your back and force you to quit. I prefer not to have to handle the weapons, but when I have to — and I had to last summer against Thunder Rosa — I do. I was in a Texas bull rope match, which means that we are tied wrist to wrist with a cowbell in the middle of this really long bull rope. That was definitely painful and bloody, and I am glad none of my family watched it because that was one of the most dangerous things I have done in AEW so far.
Q: Do you have any other favorite matches?
A: I really enjoyed my matches with Toni Storm. I wrestled her last year at Revolution for the AEW Women’s World Championship. It was my first AEW Pay Per View, and it was Sting’s retirement Pay Per View, so it was a really great environment to do it.
And I want to remind people that Toni Storm did tap out with that Venus de Milo, and I never got a rematch. So, my next favorite match might be me winning the AEW Women’s World Championship.
Q: You also wrestled in Japan, right?
A: There are so many women that have come up in Japan the last few years, and it’s almost 10 years since I was in Japan. A match that sticks out to me was against (Japanese wrestler) Mayu Iwatani (for the WOH Championship), so I would love to have a rematch.
Q; What’s it like having Tony Khan as a boss and leader?
A: I think working with him is so special because he has this genuine passion and is a lifelong wrestling fan and wants to be involved in the creative process and wants his talent to be happy and fulfilled. So, when we are excited about something, he is equally excited about it, and his energy is so contagious it makes us want to do well and perform well for him and to continue to get that reaction from him. It’s really contagious.
Q: What should we expect next from Deonna Purrazzo?
A: I have yet to win a championship in AEW, so that’s next on my list! I have recently just been announced for the Ring of Honor Women’s Pure Championship Tournament, and we are going to crown an inaugural Pure Women’s Champion, and I think that championship was made for Deonna Purrazzo, and that is next on my bucket list to accomplish. The entire field has not been announced, but I know my partner — my little sister Taya Valkyrie — will be in that tournament, so it’s really interesting to see if she stands in my way.
For now, I am so excited to come home to New Jersey and hope to see everyone there!
AEW: Collision takes place 7 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Tickets start at $60. Go to BoardwalkHall.com or Ticketmaster.com.
Scott Cronick is an award-winning journalist who has written about entertainment, food, news and more in South Jersey for nearly three decades. He hosts a daily radio show – “Off The Press with Scott Cronick” – 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays on Newstalk WOND 1400-AM, 92.3-FM, and WONDRadio.com, and he also co-owns Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City, while working on various projects, including charitable efforts, throughout the area. He can be reached at scronick@comcast.net.
