Deonna Purrazzo talks to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp about the excitement of new horizons and the anxiety that comes with leaving comfort zones as she heads into free agency in 2024.
For the past three and a half years, Deonna Purrazzo has been one of the top women's wrestlers outside of WWE, completely sitting atop IMPACT Wrestling and winning gold in AAA Lucha Libre and Ring of Honor as well. Now, she's heading into free agency in 2024 and she's excited for the new possibilities that await her.
During a recent interview with Sean Ross Sapp that was recorded at WrestleCade in 2023, Purrazzo spoke about the confidence she feels heading into the next chapter of her career.
"I feel really confident, I guess, it's a good way to put it. The last time we talked about anything contract-related with me, I was in a really weird place. I had just been released from NXT, I wasn't sure what my future held, and in the course of the last almost four years since that conversation, I feel like I've done a lot of career rehab. I've been able to, obviously, become a five-time World Champion, I've been able to work with, obviously IMPACT, but AAA, AEW, and Ring of Honor," she said. "It's been incredible. I feel like everything I've been able to do over the last three-and-a-half years has put me in a really great position to have some really great conversations with a lot of different people and I feel really confident going into the new year."
On the other hand, Purrazzo understands that there is a certain risk factor to leaving such a comfortable environment like the one she has with IMPACT, soon to again be known as TNA Wrestling, but she feels she needs to explore her other options in order to grow as a human and as a performer.
"It's scary, again, because there's so many factors to weigh. Being with Steve [Maclin], being in an environment that I'm used to, and I'm comfortable in," she said. "I kind of, at IMPACT, I can't do anything wrong. Not that I have a lot of power, but I know how I could leverage some things there. I'm in a really great position. Scott [D'Amore] and I have a great relationship and to leave all that behind would be very scary, but I also think that's how we grow as humans, right? We have to say, 'I've succeeded here. I've been at a top level here for the entire time I've been here. Is it time to go somewhere else?' If this was the territory days, right now would be the time to go until stories elsewhere. So I have to weigh that, too.
"Like I said earlier, the experiences I've had throughout my entire career, but specifically the last two to four years, have really allowed me to have conversations I didn't think I would ever have with people again," she continued. "I wasn't welcome in a lot of places when I left WWE if we're being honest. So to be able to talk to those people that I've been able to talk to you has been really settling for my soul and I just know that I am wanted and time heals all wounds and that feels really good."
Fans can learn more about her free agency at this link.
Also, fans can keep a running tab of free agents in professional wrestling using our resources section.
For the full interview with "The Virtuosa" Deonna Purrazo, check out the video embedded above.
