Deonna Purrazzo spoke with Fightful about staying with Impact, her WWE release and feeling vindicated afterwards.
If she feels vindicated after her NXT release:
“A little bit. “But, I also feel like there is a tremendous amount of pressure on me to perform at that level that I said I could perform at. With IMPACT! taking this chance on me and all the things that I said before I really got started in the division, I take this role so seriously. I’m constantly getting time in the ring and working on new things and trying to up my cardio and get in better shape, bring my gear to the next level every time because I want to prove—not only myself right—but the people that believed in me and the people that are giving me these opportunities right. They need to know how heavily it weighs on me and how much I appreciate it. There is so much pressure I felt going into Slammiversary, there’s ten times more pressure that I’ve put on myself going into Bound for Glory now because, not only do I need to retain my championship, but I can’t be a one-hit-wonder. I can’t be a fluke. I need to bring it to that same level and then some the second time in around.”
Winning the title without a contract:
“I think going into Slammiversary I was very honest about, ‘I like everything about this. I like the vibe here. I like the girls here. I like how I’m treated. I feel very much a part of all the things I was lacking in a fundamental human basis prior, I feel it at this place.’ I made that known of like, ‘It might just be a one-shot thing, but this is where I want to make my home and I want to grow in this place. So, I was surprised, but I was also like, ‘This is a good sign and this is good for me. I’m going to plant some roots here and to be given the trust. Not just to be the champion, but to come in and go right for the champion and getting these storylines and the TV time and the social media stuff that I’ve been able to do. It shows they have equal trust.’ So, as surprising as it was, I feel that we had a mutual understanding of like, ‘I would love to be here long term.’”