Jefferson Township alum gets 2nd chance to make 1st impression in AEW

Being part of All Elite Wrestling's fifth anniversary show "Double or Nothing" in May in Las Vegas, New Jersey native Deonna Purrazzo got a second chance to make a first impression with AEW.

"The Virtuosa" made the most of it, pinning former AEW champ Thunder Rosa.

It's been some journey to get there.

"It's been wild so far; it's been a crazy six months," she said. "I think I'm still adjusting to a new lifestyle, a new company, while trying to figure out who Deonna Purrazzo the wrestler is at AEW, but overall it's been really fun and a dream come true, and I'm really excited to be All Elite."

In September 2018, Purrazzo almost wrestled on the historic "All In" indie pay-per-view in Chicago. That successful event set the stage for the formation of All Elite Wrestling via Tony Khan, her current boss.

Purrazzo reflected on her current and her past, which includes how in January 2024 she became a full-time member of AEW, the second biggest pro wrestling company in the Americas (North, Central, South).

Here is my 1-on-1 video interview with Jefferson Township High School's top alum Deonna Purrazzo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o869XRQTquQ

When AEW formed five years ago, its "Double or Nothing'' pay-per-view debuted the company's pro wrestling brand and style. AEW is owned by the Khan family and run by Tony Khan, who grew up a huge pro wrestling fan. The Khan family also owns the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC in London and more.

Contacted by those in control, Purrazzo nearly participated on "All In" in 2018. Led by Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson), the indie style pay-per-view drew more than 11,000 fans in Chicago and reached the 50,000 PPV buy mark, making it a huge success. It became the first non-WWE or World Championship Wrestling (WCW) promoted professional wrestling event in the United States to sell 10,000-plus tickets since 1993.

Prior to "All In," Purrazzo went another direction.

World Wrestling Entertainment also came calling during that time.

The biggest and most lucrative pro wrestling company in the world wanted to sign Purrazzo, an accomplished talent who excelled in the East Coast Wrestling Association, Ohio Valley Wrestling, Queens of Combat, Ring of Honor, Shimmer, Stardom, and TNA Impact Wrestling

So instead of a one-time thing (at the time), she opted for the already established WWE, penning her name to a WWE contract.

"Coming to AEW [now] and becoming All Elite, that's really what I wanted," she noted, "and when I got to talk to Tony Khan about it, I said to him, 'Six years ago, I was supposed to be a part of the very first 'All In.' I was announced to be 'All In,' and I gave up that opportunity to go to [WWE] NXT."

Purrazzo spent three years in WWE, honing her skills, learning the WWE way of pro wrestling and sports entertainment at the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando. Quite the change from the warehouse type D2W Pro Wrestling Academy and Team Adams Training facility in New Jersey and OVW in Louisville, Kentucky.

Purrazzo worked hard, but it just did not work out. She competed for WWE's developmental brand NXT, wrestling on shows in Florida. She lobbied to institute a unique character, but creative differences occurred, and that relationship with WWE ended in 2020.

Willing to prove herself and her idea of "The Virtuosa" persona, Purrazzo inked a deal with TNA Impact Wrestling. This company allowed her to develop that character -- an elaborately-dressed wrestler possessing immense technical skill, very meticulous and very methodical. With enormous confidence and a boastful attitude to boot, it worked. She quickly became the Knockouts Division champion, a title she held three times during her second tenure with TNA Impact Wrestling (2020-23).

"That 100-percent rejuvenated myself, reinvigorated my love for professional wrestling," said Purrazzo, who also won the Knockouts tag team titles with her best friend, Chelsea Green (aka Laurel Van Ness). Green is currently a WWE superstar.

"I've said this time and time again. I would not be The Virtuosa, the professional wrestler that I am, if I never stepped foot in, at the time, Impact Wrestling. TNA changed the entire trajectory of my career, and I am so eternally grateful for the time and the space that they gave me to just become whoever I wanted to be.

"The Virtuosa was my baby. I created her and that nickname and that moniker, and it was a really long process to get someone to believe in it and to believe in me. To have built the legacy and really cement my career as Knockouts world champion, as a global competitor, I was able to work with Ring of Honor, with AEW, with Triple A during that time. It really cemented me as a force to be reckoned with; so it 100-percent reinvigorated my entire career."

She became one of the top wrestlers in the world.

That was Purrazzo's second tenure with TNA Impact Wrestling. She wrestled sporadically there from 2014-17.

Madison Rayne, who wrestled Purrazzo during that first stint with TNA Impact Wrestling, was the one to contact her in 2020 about joining TNA full-time. Rayne was elevated prior to wrestler/producer; so she now had influence in hiring decisions, and a deal was done.

Fast forward, Rayne is currently a coach in the women's division of AEW and even wrestled Purrazzo in February on AEW's featured weekly show "AEW Dynamite."

Purrazzo's skill in the ring is top notch, one of the best technical wrestlers (woman or man) going today. She succeeded nationally (also winning the Ring of Honor title) and internationally, becoming a Reina de Reinas champion for AAA in Mexico and a championship contender for Stardom in Japan.
She was ranked No.7 of the top 250 women's wrestlers in the "PWI Women's 250" in 2023 and No.3 of the top 250 women's wrestlers in the "PWI Women's 250" in 2021.

Purrazzo, 29, not only displays much precision in her move-set but also her ring gear, which is an elaborate and elegant display of custom-made costuming -- with new creations for major events.

"I'm a big gear fanatic anyway," she said. "I really like to take time and put thought into the presentation of what I'm going to be wearing for big moments."

Born in Livingston, New Jersey, she grew up in Jefferson Township, New Jersey and attended Jefferson Township High School. She has a twin brother, Dominic. He does not wrestle. Her pro wrestling journey began at age 19 as she later lived in Hackettstown. Gaining notoriety quickly, Purrazzo continued to progress in the ring at a rapid rate.

Past "Double or Nothing," Purrazzo has her sights set on the AEW women's title, currently held by Timeless Toni Storm.

She said to Tony Khan, before signing with AEW: "'To come full circle now [from the 2018 'All In' event] and get the opportunity to become All Elite, to see what your company has become, I want to be part of that. I don't want anything else. This is what I want, if we can make this happen'...I feel like I'm correcting some wrongs I made in my career, and everything's coming full circle. It's been an experience, and it's something I'm so proud of."

Things are good these days for Purrazzo in the pro wrestling ring and away from it.

While in WWE, it was tough, mentally draining, but there were some good moments, too, for Purrazzo as she met her future husband, wrestler Steve Maclin, at the WWE PC. Maclin, another New Jersey native, and Purrazzo later reunited professionally in the TNA Impact Wrestling locker. A special moment, Maclin captured the men's TNA title, and Purrazzo won the women's top title during the "Rebellion" PPV on April 16. 2023 from the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto.

Maclin, 37, is from Rutherford, New Jersey. Maclin and Purrazzzo did not know each other prior to WWE. They lived 30 miles from each other in New Jersey, but it took a 1,075-mile trip to Orlando to bring them together. Before training in professional wrestling, Maclin served in the U.S. Marine Corps with two stints in Afghanistan.

Speaking of the United States, Purrazzo teamed with Jordynne Grace and Kamille to represent Team USA in a winning effort against Team Mexico (Flammer, La Hiedra and Sexy Star) in the finals of the AAA Lucha Libre World Cup 2023.

"To represent the USA in that small way was really special for me," Purrazzo said. "On top of that I had asked [Maclin], 'If we make it to round two [of the World Cup], can I wear your [camo] jacket that you wore when you were deployed in Afghanistan?' and he said, 'Absolutely. That would be amazing.'

"So to not only represent Team USA, to win the entire Triple A World Cup with two phenomenal women's wrestlers next to me -- Jordynne Grace, who is one of my greatest friends, and Kamille -- and represent the United States and represent a little piece of the United States Marine Corps was just this weird combination of all my worlds put together, and it was really meaningful to me."

Pro wrestling is very meaningful to her as well.

Pro wrestling, yes, results are pre-determined, but you have to know what you're doing in the ring. It is physical, and if you're not trained properly, you will hurt someone or get hurt yourself. Even if you are trained, accidents happen, and injuries occur.

Some of Purrazzo's injuries: broken nose twice, a concussion, seven stitches under her left eye.

You want to make it look as believable as possible without actually hurting your opponent, but you can't deny gravity nor the physicality. It's a combination of stunt work, athleticism, acting, comedy, emotion, soap opera, storytelling.

Connecting with the crowd is vital. A catchy catch phrase can go a long way, and how much you are cheered or even booed determines the level of success.

The list of talent Purrazzo has wrestled/worked with reads like a Who's Who of outstanding wrestlers.
Brooke Adams, Asuka, AZM, Shayna Baszler, Leva Bates, Bayley, Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Rok-C (Roxanne Perez), Solo Darling, Jessamyn Duke, KiLynn King, Alisha Edwards, Rachael Ellering, Emma (Tenille Dashwood), Lacey Evans, Flammer, Santana Garrett, Jordynne Grace, Jessicka Havok, Barbi Hayden (Abigail Maverick), Hazuki, Taeler Hendrix, Le Hiedra, Mayu Iwatani, Mickie James, Nia Jax, Christi Jaynes, Jazz, Dakota Kai, Kamille, Kelly Klein, Konami, Awesome Kong, Jungle Kyona, Candace LaRae, Mandy Leon, Xia Li, Zoe Lucas, Becky Lynch, Mercedes Martinez, Nicole Matthews, Melina, Renee Michelle, Karen Q (Wendy Choo), Madison Rayne, Thunder Rosa, Rosemary, Sumie Sakai, Kairi Sane, Marina Shafir, Io Shirai, Masha Slamovich, Sexy Star, Toni Storm, Susie (Su Yung), Natsuko Tora, Trinity, Taya Valkyrie, Laurel Van Ness (Chelsea Green), Red Velvet, Viper (Piper Niven), Kris Wolf, Momo Watanabe, Taylor Wilde, Miyu Yamashita.

"The Virtuosa" Deonna Purrazzo can be seen on AEW Dynamite (8 p.m. Wednesdays TBS); AEW Rampage (10 p.m. Fridays TNT); AEW Collision (8 p.m. Saturdays TNT). The AEW women's division features Champ Timeless Toni Storm, Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D., Mercedes Mone, Willow Nightingale, Athena, Thunder Rosa, Saraya, Taya Valkyrie, Mercedes Martinez, Red Velvet, Diamante, Ruby Soho, Julia Hart, Kris Statlander, and Serena Deeb.

Purrazzo is also a self-proclaimed history nerd, recently earning a bachelor's degree in History from Southern New Hampshire University. Her thesis on The Cold War. She is the Queen of knowledge of The Cold War.

NOTE: Jim Varsallone, who works part-time for the Miami Herald Sports Desk in South Florida, is also a freelance feature writer, interviewing and writing about pro wrestlers, prep sports and MMA fighters.