ROH women’s champion says Ring of Honor is underrated for wrestlers
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Deonna Purrazzo is credited with helping relaunch the women’s division in Ring of Honor (ROH) when she joined the company in 2015. At the time, she appeared in one of the first women’s matches in the company’s history in nearly a decade.
He spent three years with the company before returning to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2024. By then, AEW co-founder Tony Khan had purchased Ring of Honor and the company became AEW’s sister company. After returning to Ring of Honor, she was invited to a tournament to determine the first ROH women’s pure champion.
PRO WRESTLING STARS, WHO LEADED THE SHOWCASE TO BENEFIT FROM THE TUNNEL FOR THE TOWERS, SHARED WHAT BEING AMERICAN MEANS TO THEM
Deonna Purrazzo celebrates after winning her match during AEW Collision at the Covelli Center on June 15, 2024 in Youngstown, Ohio. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)
Purrazzo defeated Billie Starkz in December to become the champion and has held the title ever since.
As new wrestlers have flooded the free agency market over the past two weeks, Purrazzo has boasted about the opportunities Ring of Honor offers for female wrestlers; This was something that was “really important” to the New Jersey native.
“I think the great thing about Ring of Honor is that it flies a little bit under the radar,” he told Fox News Digital. “So, you get to really evolve and tell stories and show your personality and maybe try something different every week than you would if you were on ‘Dynamite.’ I think they have some really great women’s wrestling in Ring of Honor. Most weeks there are four, five, six women’s matches, and so I think it doesn’t get as much credit online as it deserves for what it does and the purpose it serves women’s wrestling, which is very important to me, very important to start with. I started the women’s division in Ring of Honor 11 years ago.”
“I think it’s really important to see multiple women grow and develop every week, and if more people see that as a landing spot, maybe we can improve that perception in the public eye.”
Athena sits at the top of the women’s division in ROH. ROH has held the Women’s World Championship for more than 1,200 days. Red Velvet is the current ROH Women’s World Television Championship and has held 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 attending the Battle of the Braves on June 6. The charity event will benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
In an interview with Fox News Digital earlier this week, Purrazzo emphasized how important it is to her to help veterans, especially as a military spouse. Maclin served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
“Growing up in New Jersey, 9/11 was a huge deal. For me, I was in second grade,” he said. “I didn’t understand what was happening, but in the days that followed, I felt a sense of unity where everyone was coming together, everyone was proud to be Americans, and we were going to fight and stand together and become one, united country. And I think that feeling always stayed with me, but as a veteran’s spouse, it took on a completely different role.”
“Having Steve share with me about his service and the things he saw and experienced with me gave me a new passion for letting veterans know that yes, war always comes home with you, but it doesn’t have to define you. Steve was so lucky that he was able to find wrestling right after he left the Marine Corps, and it kind of made him wonder, ‘What am I? Who am I next?’ It saved me from falling on the unknown path.
Professional wrestling stars Steve Maclin and Deonna Purrazzo look at each other. (Provided to Fox News Digital)
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“And I think that’s something that our veterans are dealing with without the rest of the public knowing about it. It’s not talked about enough. They say 22 veterans, but the math right now adds up to 44 veterans a day dying in this war – an identity crisis of who am I after service? So to me that’s what it means to be an American now, to show our support for our veterans, to show that our country is here for them and that we’re here to support them. to give them the resources they need to live healthy and successful lives after service.”
