AEW's Deonna Purrazzo Assesses Readiness For Early WWE Opportunities

Considering how prominent she has been in companies like ROH, TNA and AEW, it's easy to forget that Deonna Purrazzo was not only a member of the WWE roster, but that she actually got a shot at being in WWE very early in her career. 

During a recent appearance on Chris Van Vliet's "Insight" podcast, Purrazzo explained how she ended up getting extra work for WWE less than two years into her career, but admitted that it all came to her far too quickly. "I mean, way too quickly, I wasn't ready for those opportunities..." Purrazzo said. Like, it's all happening way too fast, and I'm almost not ready for it." Shortly after appearing as an extra, Purrazzo worked a handful of matches on "WWE NXT," something that she thought could legitimately get her signed to a full-time deal. However, she used this life experience to figure out who 'The Virtuosa' really was.

"Late 2015 early 2016 I was in NXT at the tapings every other week. I was there 24/7 flying myself, actively going into debt so I could be in Orlando, Florida, to wrestle for NXT. And that was when I was like, I think I could take kind of the critique I'm getting. I could keep training. I can go to Japan. I was working with ROH at the time, all of these little pieces are really starting to come together in The Virtuosa, Deonna Purrazzo, the early stages of who I was becoming then could be someone who could get signed." Purrazzo would eventually be signed to a full-time deal in 2018, but was eventually released in 2020, and has since gone on to hold titles in both the United States and Mexico.

Please credit "Insight" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.