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Deonna Purrazzo helped restart Ring of Honor’s (ROH) women’s division when she joined the company in 2015. She competed in one of the first women’s matches in the company’s history in nearly a decade at the time.
She spent three years with the company before returning to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2024. At that time, AEW co-founder Tony Khan purchased Ring of Honor and it became a sister company of AEW. Upon her return to Ring of Honor, she was thrust into a tournament to determine ROH’s first pure women’s champion.
PRO WRESTLING STARS LEAD A SHOWCASE TO ENJOY THE TUNNEL AT TOWERS, SHARE WHAT BEING AN AMERICAN MEANS TO THEM
Deonna Purrazzo celebrates after winning her match during AEW Collision on June 15, 2024, at the Covelli Center in Youngstown, Ohio. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)
In December, Purrazzo defeated Billie Starkz to be crowned champion and has held the title ever since.
As a wave of new female wrestlers hit the free agent market over the past two weeks, Purrazzo touted the opportunities Ring of Honor provides for female wrestlers — something that was “really important” to the New Jersey native.
“I think what’s great about Ring of Honor is that it kind of flies under the radar,” she told PK Press Club Digital. “So you can really expand and tell stories and show your personality and maybe try something different than if you were on ‘Dynamite’ every week. I think there’s really great women’s wrestling within Ring of Honor. Most weeks there’s four, five, six women’s matches and so I think there’s not enough credit online that it deserves for what it does and the purpose it serves for women’s wrestling, which is, again, very important to me starting with Ring of Honor, starting the women’s division 11 years ago.
“Seeing multiple women grow and develop every week, I think that’s really important and I think if more people saw that as a landing spot, maybe we could increase that perception in the public eye.”
Athena sits atop the ROH women’s division. She has held the ROH Women’s World Championship for over 1,200 days. Red Velvet is the current ROH Women’s World Television Championship and has been hosting it for over 150 days.
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Deonna Purrazzo attends Shaq’s Fun House at XS Nightclub at Encore Las Vegas on February 9, 2024. (Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
Purrazzo also has the opportunity to help veterans and first responders in need.
She and her husband, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling star Steve Maclin, are hosting the Battle for the Brave on June 6. The charity event will benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Purrazzo emphasized how important it was to her to give back to veterans in an interview with PK Press Club Digital earlier this week, especially as a military spouse. Maclin served in the U.S. Marines.
“I grew up in New Jersey as well and 9/11 was a big deal. For me, I was in third grade,” she said. “I didn’t understand what was happening, but in the days that followed, I felt a sense of unity in that everyone came together, everyone was proud to be an American, and we were going to fight and stand together and be a united country. And I think that feeling has always stuck with me, but as a veteran’s wife, it took on a completely different role.
“Steve speaking about his service and the things he saw and experienced with me gave me a new passion for letting veterans know that, yes, war will always come back with you, but it doesn’t have to define you. Steve was so lucky that he was able to find struggle right after getting out of the Marine Corps and that somehow saved him from falling down the unknown path of ‘What am I?’ Who am I next?”
Professional wrestling stars Steve Maclin and Deonna Purrazzo look at each other. (Provided to PK Press Club Digital)
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“And I think it’s something that our veterans face without the rest of the public knowing. It’s not talked about enough. They say 22 veterans, but right now the math leads to 44 veterans a day losing their lives in this battle – an identity crisis of who I am after service. So that’s what being American means to me now, is showing that support for our veterans, showing that our country is here for them and that we’re here to support them and we’re here to give them the resources they need to live healthy, successful lives after service.”
