Deonna Lynn Purrazzo (born June 10, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and its sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the current and inaugural ROH Women's Pure Champion.
Purrazzo began training in December 2012, and then started wrestling in various independent promotions the following year, eventually appearing in national companies TNA and ROH. She also worked for the Japanese promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom from 2017 to 2018. After making various appearances for WWE beginning in 2014, she signed with the company in 2018 and was appointed to its developmental brand NXT, yet she was released in 2020. Purrazzo then re-signed with TNA, which had been renamed to Impact Wrestling in 2017, and quickly rose through the ranks in the women's division, and she also appeared in AAA through a partnership with Impact. After leaving Impact at the end of 2023, Purrazzo signed with AEW that same month.
Early life Deonna Lynn Purrazzo was born on June 10, 1994, in Livingston, New Jersey. She is of Italian descent and has a twin brother named Dominic; Deonna was born first. Purazzo grew up in Jefferson Township, New Jersey, and attended Jefferson Township High School.Varsallone, Jim. "Mae Young Classic alternate Purrazzo helps lead ROH Women of Honor" , Miami Herald, August 25, 2017. Accessed August 21, 2018. "Born in Livingston and raised in Jefferson, New Jersey, Purrazzo is also attractive and vied for the title of Miss New Jersey USA....Purrazzo is a graduate of Jefferson Township High School."
Professional wrestling career
Early career (2012–2016)
Purrazzo started training at the now defunct D2W Pro Wrestling Academy in December 2012 after she spotted an advertisement for it. She made her in-ring debut in 2013. Purrazzo left D2W in 2014, alongside trainer Damian Adams. Both continued training at Team Adams Training facility in Northern New Jersey. She has attended extra training sessions alongside Rip Rogers at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky.
On October 17, 2015, at the East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA)'s second annual Super 8 ChickFight Tournament, Purrazzo won the tournament and the ECWA Women's Championship after defeating Tessa Blanchard in the finals. On October 22, 2016, Purazzo, still being the ECWA Women's Champion, won the third Super 8 ChickFight Tournament after defeating Karen Q in the finals, being the first wrestler in ECWA's history to win the tournament back-to-back. On June 17, 2017, Purrazzo vacated the championship after defeating Karen. On October 21, at the fourth Super 8 ChickFight Tournament, Purrazzo advanced to the finals, where she faced against Karen and Santana Garrett in a three-way match, which was won by Karen.
Ring of Honor (2015–2018) Purrazzo is co-credited with starting the "rebirth" of Ring of Honor (ROH)'s women's division (officially called Women of Honor), as her ROH debut match against Mandy Leon (in Baltimore, Maryland on July 25, 2015) was ROH's first women's match in roughly a decade. Although losing the contest, this match set the tone for what was to come in WOH. In December 2015 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Purrazzo teamed with Hania "The Howling Huntress" in another losing effort against Mandy Leon and Sumie Sakai. Purrazzo made an appearance at the Ring of Honor Supercard of Honor X in April 2016 where she teamed with Amber Gallows in a tag team match against Solo Darling and Mandy Leon, but lost via submission. On the December 14 episode of ROH's Women of Honor Wednesday webseries, Purrazzo returned to face off against Sumie Sakai in a winning effort. Purrazzo made her first appearance on ROH TV episode that aired on December 10, 2016. Purrazzo defeated Candice LeRae.
On June 23, 2017, at Best in the World, Purrazzo teamed with Mandy Leon in a losing effort against Kris Wolf and Sumie Sakai. During the following night's TV tapings, Purrazzo wrestled a three-way match against Karen Q and Kelly Klein, and was pinned by Karen Q. On the July 29 tapings (uploaded on YouTube on September 6), Purrazzo lost a singles match to Klein, following interference from Karen Q, who attacked Purrazzo during and after the match. On October 13, at Global Wars: Pittsburgh, Purrazzo teamed with Leon and Jenny Rose in a winning effort, against Britt Baker, Faye Jackson and Sumie Sakai.
On January 11, 2018, Purrazzo signed a contract with ROH.
Purrazzo was a featured participant in the Women of Honor Championship tournament, held in the spring of 2018. At ROH Manhattan Mayhem 2018 she won together with Tenille Dashwood in a tag team match against Jenny Rose and Sumie Sakai. Purrazzo advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women Of Honor Championship tournament by defeating Holidead, then was eliminated by World Wonder Ring Stardom's Mayu Iwatani.
Purrazzo left ROH on July 1, 2018, her final match came in a loss against Kelly Klein.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2014–2017) Purrazzo made her TNA wrestling debut during the May 10, 2014, taping of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, losing a singles match against Brooke at Knockouts Knockdown II. Deonna returned to TNA on January 8, 2016, at the One Night Only: Live PPV and participated in a number one contender's gauntlet match, where she was eliminated by Awesome Kong. She made a third appearance on March 17, 2016, at Knockouts Knockdown IV where she lost to Madison Rayne. On the January 19, 2017 edition of Impact Wrestling, Purrazzo faced Brooke in a losing effort. Purrazzo was also featured in an Xplosion match, losing to Laurel Van Ness.
World Wonder Ring Stardom (2017–2018) Purrazzo made her World Wonder Ring Stardom debut, on January 29, 2017. Purrazzo teamed with Christi Jaynes and Shayna Baszler in a six-woman tag team match, with the trio defeating Oedo Tai Kagetsu, Kris Wolf and Viper.
On February 4, Purrazzo teamed once again with Baszler and Jaynes in another winning effort against Arisu Nanase, Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora. On February 11, Purrazzo and Baszler defeated Queen's Quest (HZK and Io Shirai) and Toni Storm and Zoe Lucas, in a three-way tag team match. On February 18, Purrazzo teamed with Baszler and Jaynes in a winning effort against AZM, HZK and Shirai in a six-woman tag team match. On February 23, Purrazzo unsuccessfully challenged Storm for the SWA World Championship.
Purrazzo returned to Stardom on June 3, 2018, where she teamed with Lucas and Storm in a losing effort against Io Shirai, Konami and Momo Watanabe. On June 23, Purrazzo unsuccessfully challenged Watanabe for the Wonder of Stardom Championship.
WWE (2014–2020)
Early appearances (2014–2017) In 2014, Purrazzo started working as extra talent for WWE appearing in several skits with Adam Rose as a "Rosebud".
She appeared on the November 11, 2015, episode of NXT where she was defeated by Nia Jax. On the November 19 episode of NXT, Purrazzo lost to Asuka. On the January 13, 2016, episode of NXT, she participated in a battle royal to determine the number one contender for the NXT Women's Championship. She kept appearing throughout 2016, losing to the likes of Asuka, Emma, Nia Jax, and Bayley.
On the December 13, 2016, episode of SmackDown Live, Purrazzo was set to face SmackDown Women's Champion Alexa Bliss, however, Bliss attacked her before the match began.
In 2017, WWE selected Purrazzo as an alternate for its inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament. She wrestled on night two of the tournament in a dark match, teaming with Jessica James to defeat Nicole Matthews and Barbi Hayden.
NXT (2018–2020) In early April 2018 during the “WrestleMania Weekend”, WWE offered Purrazzo a contract backstage at a Shimmer Women Athletes show. Though Purrazzo was still under contract to Ring of Honor, she accepted and pulled out of her match at that summer's All In pay per view (a record-setting independent wrestling event produced by what would become AEW). Purrazzo's WWE signing was reported on May 31; that same week, WWE announced she would appear in the second Mae Young Classic. On August 22, Purrazzo fought Bianca Belair in a losing effort. During the Mae Young Classic, Purrazzo advanced to the tournament's quarterfinals, defeating Priscilla Kelly and Xia Li before losing to Io Shirai. On December 26, Purrazzo made her NXT UK debut, where she unsuccessfully challenged Rhea Ripley for the NXT UK Women's Championship, after the match, Ripley attacked Purrazzo until she was rescued by Toni Storm. The following week, Purrazzo fought Storm, where, Storm managed to defeat her. On December 16, 2019, Purrazzo appeared on Raw in a singles match against Asuka, where she was defeated. On the January 15, 2020 episode of NXT, Purrazzo attacked Shotzi Blackheart upon being eliminated from a battle royal by her, also turning heel. Purrazzo had an unsuccessful match with Blackheart on January 29. Purrazzo also fought Tegan Nox for the chance to qualify in a number one Contender's Ladder Match, but Nox defeated her. Purrazzo appeared on the April 6 episode of Raw in a squash match against the returning Nia Jax, where she was defeated. On April 15, WWE released Purrazzo and nearly two dozen other wrestlers and producers, ending her six-year tenure the company. During Purrazzo's entire WWE run, she had only 16 televised matches. According to Purrazzo, WWE's creative team believed she was not yet ready for television.
Return to Impact Wrestling (2020–2023) Knockouts World Champion (2020–2022) After Purrazzo's WWE release, Impact Wrestling wrestler/producer Madison Rayne contacted her. One month after, Purrazzo appeared on the May 26 episode of Impact! in a taped promo introducing herself as "The Virtuosa", a wrestler possessing immense technical skill and certainty of her future success. Purrazzo's in-ring debut was on the June 9 episode of Impact!, attacking Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace and by placing her in the Fujiwara armbar to establish herself as a heel. On July 18 at Slammiversary, Purrazzo defeated Grace by submission to win the championship. On August 24, during the second night of the Emergence special, Purrazzo made her first successful title defense against Grace in the first Knockouts 30-minute Iron Man match in Impact history, winning two falls to one. At Victory Road, she had another successful title defense against Susie. On October 21, it was confirmed that Purrazzo had signed a long-term deal with Impact Wrestling.
At Bound for Glory, Purrazzo was scheduled to defend the Knockouts Championship against Kylie Rae, however, Rae was injured which Impact had not provided an explanation for her absence during the show. Su Yung was the replacement for Rae and defeated Purrazzo, ending her reign at 98 days. On November 14, at Turning Point, Purrazzo won back the title from Yung in a no disqualification match. After she and Kimber Lee were eliminated in the first round of the Knockouts Tag Team Championship Tournament, Purrazzo feuded with Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie, beating them in successful title defenses at Final Resolution and Hard To Kill respectively. On March 13, 2021, at Sacrifice, she defeated ODB to retain her Knockouts title. On April 10, at Hardcore Justice, Purrazzo defeated Jazz in a Title vs. Career match, ending Jazz's in-ring career. At Rebellion, she retained her title against Tenille Dashwood. On May 15, at Under Siege, Purrazzo defeated Havok by submission to successfully retain her title. On June 12, at Against All Odds, Purrazzo defeated Rosemary again to successfully retain her Knockouts Championship.