Deonna Purrazzo speaks with Fightful

We at Real Rasslin can confirm that

Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp had the opportunity to catch up with AEW’s Deonna Purrazzo before her upcoming matchup against Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s World Championship at AEW Revolution this coming Sunday.

Deonna says this will be one of the biggest crowds she’s ever wrestled in front of during her career. She said that she had wrestled at Triplemanía before but was unsure of the crowd size.

The former TNA Knockouts Champion told Fightful that the minute she got to AEW, people had already pitched an idea for her to work with Toni Storm. She mentioned that the writers did not know about the matching tattoos the two have. Deonna said it has been fun for her and Toni to drop some of the bits of their relationship into the story.

Deonna mentioned that Toni does not have a social media presence and that a lot of their friendship was between just between them and offline. She mentioned how people knew they were in Stardom together but did not know to what extent they were friends. Deonna said that the tattoo was the cherry on top regarding their storyline. The tattoo was the evidence to prove their friendship.

Deonna told Fightful that none of her close friends nudged her into signing with a specific company. She said, “They want what’s best for me and where I’m going to be happy or the most successful or I’m going to make the best decisions for me.”

She said it would have been great to be with Chelsea (Green), or it would have been great to still be with Steve (Maclin), but she felt like she needed to go to a place that was best for her. Deonna added everyone was happy she got to make her choice. She said the doors were open for her to choose, and it’s worked out very well since.

The New Jersey native told us about her negotiations with AEW. Deonna said she reached out to Sonjay Dutt, who is not only a character in AEW but also the Vice President of Production and Creative Coordination for AEW. She said she contacted him about 90 days before her contract ended and told him she would be a free agent on January 1st.

Deonna said there was some back-and-forth regarding the contract between her and AEW. Deonna said Britt Baker knew the conversations were happening. She said it was at the beginning of December when she contacted Tony Khan, and the two talked directly. She mentioned they had a Zoom call, which felt like a done deal.

Deonna said she got to review the contract shortly after Christmas. There was some back-and-forth on some things, but they were changed, and she signed the contract.

Sean asked Deonna if she found it validating that she was immediately put into a title match. Deonna told us that it was 100% validating. She said it was the perfect scenario for her. She debuted in her hometown with her family there and was thrown into the title picture with an interesting story. Deonna would add that it was like a fairytale of hitting everything that she wanted to do.

Deonna says she sees herself as the AEW Women’s World Champion. Deonna said what Tony Khan thinks of her and the work that she’s done with Toni Storm has been a testament to her talent.

The Virtuosa spoke about adjusting to her new schedule and being on the road. It has taken her 12 years to reach the point where she is now a fairytale and a dream come true.

She spoke about how many people did not know how to watch IMPACT, and now she is on a network that is more accessible, but there are more eyes on her and that brings more pressure.

Deonna spoke about her submission and how she uses them. She mentions how she can adjust to using different moves in different matches.

Deonna told Sean that IMPACT extended her contract for 2023 because they had an option. Deonna asked IMPACT not to pick up the option because she wanted to explore other options, but in the end, she believed being there another year was best for her. She won the title again and worked with Jordynne Grace some more.

She mentioned how things vary from AEW and IMPACT/TNA. She mentioned that things are live and they can be more challenging. However, she knows she deserves to be there and will go out and become the new AEW Women’s Champion.

Sean mentioned to Deonna how her husband Steve Maclin’s contract is coming up, and she said she is excited and nervous about his free agency. She says Maclin’s confidence has grown.

Deonna said from a business standpoint, she is excited because it helps their family, but she also added being his wife, she wants to see him live his dreams, too.

Deonna was asked if she’d had the opportunity to interact with Sting. She said, unfortunately, not much. She said to be on the card is an honor.

In closing, Sean asked Deonna how she would prevent Toni Storm from making good on her specific physical threats. She said, “Look, I am here to wrestle. I am not there to talk; I’m not there to rekindle our friendship. I’m here to become a champion. She can threaten me all she wants, but when you’re locked in that Venus De Milo, and there are a bunch of different ways to get you in it. I don’t think you're punching anyone in the box.”

You can follow Deonna on X or Instagram @DeonnaPurrazzo.

Need more Real Rasslin? linktr.ee/realrasslinuk

Wanna work with us? Drop us a DM!