In an exclusive interview with PWMania.com‘s Scott Mitchell (@ScottsScoop44), Deonna Purrazzo opened up about wanting to change women’s wrestling, her time in Impact Wrestling so far, including becoming a three-time Knockouts Champion. She also talked about which match has been years in the making and much more.
You can check out the complete interview below:
You defeated Jordynne Grace in the main event of Rebellion to become the new Impact Knockouts Champion. What was it like to work with Jordynne again?
“It was awesome. I’ve said this a few times, but I didn’t realize it at the time, but that was the first time I won the championship in front of a crowd. All day I was super nervous and super emotional, and I didn’t really know why. In hindsight, I guess it was because Jordynne and I were the main event and in front of a sold-out crowd in Toronto I was winning the Knockouts World Championship. That was really special to me.”
You have quite the history with Jordynne Grace. You won your first Impact Knockout’s Championship from her, and you also put on an incredible Iron Woman match. Tell us about your history with her, and how fitting it was to win your third Knockouts Championship from her.
“We had those two matches back in 2020 when I won the Knockouts Championship at Slammiversary, and then we had a 30-minute Knockouts Ironman match at Emergence. We haven’t had another match since. Jordynne and I felt a lot of pressure heading into this match to exceed the expectations and precedent that we had set way back in 2020. We were ecstatic. Unfortunately, Mickie did have to vacate the title, so it wasn’t the best of situations. But we were really ecstatic to re-visit that single’s competition with each other. Jordynne Grace is my toughest and greatest opponent. I know every time we step into the ring together it’s going to be great. To be in the main event of Rebellion for the Knockouts World Championship, which only three women had done, myself, Mickie James, and Jordynne Grace, just upped the ante for us. We wanted to show what the Knockouts division was all about, and I think we did just that.”
Going into this match, you weren’t always prepared to face Jordynne Grace. Unfortunately, with Mickie James vacating the championship and not being cleared to wrestle, that’s how the cards lined up though. How did you have to adjust your game plan from going up against a legend like Mickie James, to now facing a powerhouse like Jordynne Grace?
“I absolutely had to. We had not been in a singles competition against each other in over three years. We have both changed drastically over the course of that time. I had been in the ring very recently with Mickie. Not that Mickie is any less of a threat, but with Jordynne there’s a different element. She’s someone I haven’t been in the ring with in a while, and she’s someone it was going to take some time to feel out, out there. She’s just a powerhouse. Winning all of the championships at her recent bodybuilding competition, she just completely transformed. Watching that as an opponent, and friend, made me really excited for her. I think it was more uncertainty going into a singles competition, as opposed to a triple threat.”
When you first won the Impact Knockout’s Championship back in 2020, you had a 30-minute Ironman match with Jordynne Grace. How important was that match to you, who became Impact’s Iron Women in the process, as well as the Impact Knockout’s division as a whole?
“For me, it was always my goal to change women’s wrestling. There are not very many firsts left. To be the first-ever, and only, Iron Women in Impact Wrestling is special, and history-making. That’s what everyone’s goal should be. You don’t get into something to be mediocre at it. You want to be the best, you want to be the champion, and make history. I wanted to do that from a young age. To be in a position after years, and years of struggle, to come into Impact Wrestling and win the Knockouts World Championship and become the first-ever Iron Women at Impact, and to just make all this history and ground-breaking moments, lit a fire under all of our butts. All of the Knockouts saw that we were getting all these first-ever moments, like the first-ever Ironman match, the first-ever Ultimate-X match, Mickie James, and I main event a pay-per-view which was another first-ever moment. It really showed the world that there’s still a lot of work to be done and a lot of history for the Knockouts to participate in and make.”
In your second knockout championship reign, you were given the opportunity to wrestle a legend in Jazz. What was it like to retire a legend like Jazz and be her final opponent?
“It was really organic. I had won the Knockout World Championship and went on a tirade of the entire Knockout division. I kept saying any competitor, we were in this forbidden door era, so it was like any competitor, from any company, from any generation. I’d wrestle anyone who stepped up to the plate. I would wrestle anyone, and I would defeat anyone and even retire them. Having Jazz as a part of the division was invaluable. She’s the sweetest, most generous person I’ve ever met. She wanted to elevate not just myself but our entire division. She really did that by putting her career on the line. Just that match in itself, we had long days in front of no fans during the pandemic, and to have that special and important match in front of nobody was unfortunate. Had we had it packed with fans, it would have been that much better. Just to share the ring with her was another bucket list, a dream come true thing for me. She’s a legend, she’s so ahead of her time, and she continues to kick butt. For me to have a small part in her history in women’s wrestling is very exciting.”
How will you be making an Impact again in Chicago?
“It’s our return to Chicago. Last time we were in Cicero Stadium, Chelsea Green and I won the Knockouts World Tag Championships as VXT. It was just announced that Jordynne and I will be competing for the Knockouts World Tag Championships against The Coven in Cicero this weekend. Could we see the return of the champ champ? Maybe!”
Next week’s Impact episode will also feature you and Taylor Wilde facing off one-on-one. How do you prepare for someone who is certainly one of the more dangerous competitors on the Knockouts roster? Then add the element of KiLynn King, who may not be far behind Taylor Wilde as well.
“This has been a long time coming. It’s something I’ve very much looked forward to for a while. To see her back in her element, this is her true authentic self. There’s a lot she’s doing along with KiLynn King, that I’ve done when I was Knockouts Champion the first time with Kimber Lee or Su Yung. It’s not like I won’t have eyes in the back of my head. I know they’ll have tricks up their sleeves, and while I’m out there I will just need to be focused on Taylor because she’s a threat. She’s a legend in the knockout division, and she’s a former Knockout Champion in her own right. She’s not someone I can overlook for my first title defense, but KiLynn definitely adds an element to that. I’m the Virtuosa though, I’m fully aware of what can go down and I can pull tricks out of my own bag to keep the Knockout’s Championship.”
What’s next for the Virtuosa?
“I think Taylor Wilde vs. Deonna Purrazzo is something that’s been years in the making and will be really great. I also think with this title run, I proved myself. The previous two were more about solidifying who I am and creating a legacy here in Impact Wrestling. Now, I’ve done that, and I’m confident and know my worth now. I’m a different competitor, and a different human being this time around. Our roster has grown exponentially. We have KiLynn King and Jody Threat, and we’ve seen a new side of Alisha Edwards too recently. There are a lot of talented women that I’ve yet to go one-on-one with. As long as they step up to the plate and want a piece of the Virtuosa, I’m more than happy to give them the opportunity to dethrone me, but it’s not going to happen.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit PWMania.com with an h/t to PWMania.com for the transcription.
