11 months ago
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AEW
Deonna Purrazzo surprised the industry when she not only made her AEW debut in her home state of New Jersey, but quickly signed a contract with them. On "Talk Is Jericho," Purrazzo recalled what went into her debut at the Prudential Center. According to Purrazzo, while the arena wasn't around when she was training, she eventually made multiple appearances as a WWE extra there, and as such wanted to make venue history with her debut.
"I said that to Tony when we talked, 'I've never wrestled there, never done anything there, but I've been there a million times, so it just would be cool on that flipside.'" Purrazzo continued, noting that there was a lot of secrecy behind her appearance that night. "They put me in that wheelchair with the tarp over my head and through me in a room by myself." Despite her warm welcome, she believed she didn't deserve to be treated so lavishly by AEW. "I'm being treated like a superstar, and it's just me! I don't feel like I deserve this kind of treatment!"
"The Virtuosa" admitted she's a very emotional person, especially when it comes to wrestling, and that she had to control herself all day before walking out on stage. However, before her debut, she broke into tears. "I just broke down right up there. And it's a secret, I've not seen it on the internet, nobody knows." Purrazzo also noted that she had no idea her family would be in attendance, and once she recognized her father, she again struggled against tears. "I got in the ring and was like 'There's my dad's big head! Okay, don't cry in the ring!' It was very emotional."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Talk Is Jericho" and provide Wrestling Inc. with a h/t for the transcription.
