Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: Deonna Purrazzo
Date: 12/11/20
Your Host: James Walsh

“The Vurtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo is the reigning 2 time Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion. In a fast paced, as two New Jersey folks conversing often is, interview, Deonna opens up about everything from Impact Wrestling giving her the opportunity she always has wanted, Impact now having a working relationship with AEW, online body shaming, and even calls her shots as to who she picks to win the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Tag Team Titles but also who she wants to face at the Hard to Kill pay per view in January. All of this and lots more!

Impact Wrestling presents Final Resolution on Impact Plus this Saturday night, December 12th. For more information and to subscribe to not be left out of all the Impact Plus action, visit www.ImpactWrestling.com.

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DEONNA PURRAZZO:

On Impact Wrestling’s huge night on Tuesday:

“Yeah! Last night was definitely eye-opening and the entire wrestling industry, I think, changed a little bit.”

On Impact now seemingly having a working relationship with AEW:
“I think it is amazing when people are able to put aside their differences, whatever they are, to work towards a common goal. I don’t know what this is leading to. I don’t know what Kenny Omega and Don Callis have planned as far as cross-promotion or whatever it is. But, I’m real excited to see what is going to happen in the near future. And, what is most important is there are so many more eyes on Impact Wrestling now. I mean, our Twitch stream had record number viewers, our social media blew up – We trended #1 for quite a while last night. So, all in all, I’m just excited to see what the future for Impact Wrestling is and I hope that those viewers that tuned in to see what we are all about stick with us.”

On being eliminated from the Impact Wrestling Tag Team Title Tournament:
“I’m so excited to see who gets crowned the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Tag Team Champions at Hard to Kill. I think this is a long time coming for Impact Wrestling. We’ve always been about women breaking boundaries and breaking down doors. To bring back those Knockouts Tag Team Titles Correct me if I’m wrong but they were the first Tag Team Titles out there years ago (of the modern era) so to bring that part of history is amazing. If I can’t be the champion, there is no one else I’d like to see become the champions more than Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz.”

On what being Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion means to her:
“Oh, it means absolutely everything to me! All I wanted was for someone to bet on me to give me the chance to be the pro wrestler, the champion that I wanted to be since I was a little girl and that I always knew I could be. So, for Impact to give me the opportunity not once but twice now, to build this platform and build my brand, and to put me on a showcase each week is so important to me. It is all I could have ever asked for!”

On her recent battle with “body shaming” on social media:
“(laughs) Well, there was one tweet… And I try not to really engage with those types of fans, if you want to call them fans… (laughs) But, there was one person who tweeted to me that I needed to lose 30 pounds and do some squats. That struck me because I was a little girl that grew up wanting to be a wrestler in a time where women’s wrestlers were size 0 models and they weren’t real women who came in a variety of sizes and shapes. For me, 30 pounds is a lot of weight! I’m not unrealistic with myself. I’ve been through the ringer with anxiety and depression and reclaiming my emotional health and my mental health this year. All of those things contribute to what your physical health looks like. And, I might need to lose 5 pounds. I might need to lose 6 or 7 pounds. I’m not against the losing weight part. But, I’m against calling people out for it. And, I’m against people who call themselves fans thinking it is OK to criticize a woman’s body because it is more than doing squats. I do squats everyday. It is a mental game as well. It is so much more than just working out. You know what I mean?”

On the tongue-twisting yet unique name of “Vurtuosa”:
“(laughs) The actual definition of “Virtuosa” is someone with outstanding technical ability or someone who specializes in technical workmanship. Or, someone who has a cultivated appreciation for artistic excellence. It is an Italian word and it is used primarily for musicianship or dancing. Or, just the arts. Wrestling is my art.”

On facing Rosemary this Saturday at Impact Wrestling Final Resolution:
“It is intimidating for sure. From the moment her music hits, she just has this presence about her and you really don’t know what angle she is going to come from. You don’t know what to make of her! It was definitely interesting to get in the ring with her this past Tuesday because that was the first time that I had ever been in the ring with Rosemary. But, I think it only aided in having this match made at Final Resolution and I was able to get a little bit of studying done first hand.”

On Impact Wrestling having the best female roster out there:
“Absolutely! I would agree with you hands down. Head to toe, there is not one woman on the roster that I do not want to be in the ring with. There is not one person who I don’t think brings something different to the table. I speak about it all the time. I can’t tell you how incredible I think our women’s division, the Knockouts division, is.”

On adapting to performing in front of no live crowd:
“(laughs) It definitely is something that takes some time to adapt to because it is not something that any of us has ever experienced – To not have fans. But, I think that my training, back to day one, helped with that because we were putting on matches at training in front of no one – In front of one or two other trainees. I think that having that training helped me going into Slammiversary, my first big pay-per-view match ever, and kind of not be bothered by not having fans. But, it is interesting! It is only getting harder the longer that we do it. I hope one day soon we can have fans back!”

On her plans heading into 2021:
“Ooh! Well, assuming I retain my Knockouts Title at Final Resolution, I’d like to defend my Knockouts Title at Hard to Kill. And, Taya Valkyrie keeps going on and on and on about how she’s the longest reigning Knockouts Champion of all time. I would like to shut her up! So, that is my resolution for the new year!”