Deonna Purrazzo Says She's "Never Walked Away Hurt" After Wrestling Nia Jax
Nia Jax has received somewhat of a reputation as a stiff wrestler from both fans and performers alike. Former NXT talent Deonna Purrazzo's last WWE match was against Jax and she talked working with her when Purrazzo joined The Wrestling Inc. Daily podcast.
"That last match with Nia is funny because it's full circle. My first in NXT as extra talent was against Nia and that spans a five-year difference," revealed Purrazzo, who is heading to Impact Wrestling. "From day one to my last day in WWE, she has been so great. Never have I walked away hurt or banged up or feeling like I can't work the next day. I feel the need to defend her from my point of view because I can't say anything negative about her.
"She's been a kind of generous person to me. She's been friendly when she hasn't needed to be and she's been giving in the ring when she certainly didn't need to be. I have a different point of view because I've done this from the beginning of her career to now and the beginning of my career to now. And I've never walked away hurt."
As an established member of NXT, Purrazzo was asked if Triple H was hands-on with her as a talent.
"Not me per se, but we have had conversations. Anytime I've tried to voice my frustrations? he was very much available and willing to sit down and talk with me. But he is very hands-on with the talent that's on TV and in storylines and those developing their characters live every week," Purrazzo said while indicating that she wasn't one of those characters in NXT.
"On the flip side, I think probably more than most people that get to have conversations with him, I did. I did get to sit down and say, 'Hey, if you have a few minutes, I'd love to chat.' And I did that quite a few times to the point that [it was] what else can I do? Then we'd talk about it and then we'd come back in a few weeks. He was very willing to hear me out and talk me down from all of my frustrations and anxieties and try to make something work for me. But ultimately, the decision was made."
Purrazzo was then asked if she had any personal interactions with Vince McMahon during her WWE run.
"No, just anytime he was in Gorilla when I was doing stuff on RAW or when I was extra talent on RAW or SmackDown, just 'thank yous' in Gorilla for having me. But nothing really in depth."
Purrazzo was first introduced to WWE fans as one of Adam Rose's Rosebuds in 2014. She talked that experience and how it led to full-time work.
"The first time I worked for WWE was to be a Rosebud. I got called to RAW at the last minute to do this thing with him. It was really fun because it opened up a lot of opportunities and was one of the main reasons why I got to go to NXT and be an enhancement talent. I was reliable because anytime they'd call me, I'd go. In hindsight, it's really fun to talk about. I had some really good times and made some really good friends doing it," said Purrazzo.
She added that while she didn't receive that much backstage direction on what to specifically do as a Rosebud, Adam Rose himself did give direction. Purrazzo said it was cool to live out his vision of what he wanted the Rosebuds to be.
"The Rosebuds got to do some really cool stuff like when the Rumble was in Philadelphia and we caught Kofi," said Purrazzo. "At one point we were doing live events with him and I got to experience being on the opposite side of the house shows. Overall, I look back at it with really fond memories because that was me getting my feet wet. I was brand new and wasn't ready for what the reality was."
You can follow Deonna Purrazzo on Twitter @DeonnaPurrazzo. Deonna's full interview with Wrestling Inc aired as part of a recent episode of our podcast, The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as it's released Monday – Friday afternoon by clicking here.