Steph De Lander, formerly known as Persia Pirotta in WWE NXT, reflects on her WWE release and finding her way on the independent circuit.
When Persia Pirotta was released from WWE NXT, she had been a major part of the Tuesday night series, regularly featured in segments with Indi Hartwell, Dexter Lumis, and her on-screen love interest, Duke Hudson.
In the year since her release, she has been able to make a name for herself on the independent circuit, competed in IMPACT Wrestling, and more. Recently, Steph took to her Instagram to reflect on life since WWE and how grateful she is for finding herself on the independents.
Exactly 1 year ago I lost my dream job. Today I sit here & realise it was probably the best thing to happen to my career. Initially, I didn’t know where I fit in on the independent scene. Bitch, I am the independent scene! At first, I groaned at the idea of being back on the indies. But then I realised, now more than ever I am in complete control of my career and my destiny. With a pair of wrestling boots and a microphone in hand, watch me take over the entire fucking industry. What an exciting time to be SDL -- @harryjaaron
As part of her current role on the independent scene, De Lander is the heater for Matt Cardona. Fans can read what Matt has to say about choosing Steph at this link.
As for Indi Hartwell, Steph's former tag team partner and rival, Indi is the current WWE NXT Women's Championship, and she was drafted to WWE Raw as part of the WWE 2023 Draft. Learn more here.
