WWE News: Former Superstar Claims She Received ‘Backlash’ For Asking Questions

Former WWE superstar Deonna Purrazzo was recently interviewed by Chris Van Vliet, and the pair discussed a variety of topics. During the conversation, they talked about her time in WWE and how the company had no interest in pushing her.

As quoted by WrestlingNews.co, Purrazzo — who was let go back in April as part of the company’s mass releases — revealed that the creative team wasn’t willing to listen to her and they weren’t fans of her ideas. She also said that she received some “backlash” for asking questions on how to get opportunities on NXT television.

“The more I asked questions, the more I was pushed to the back of the line, like she is a problem. I felt like I couldn’t do anything right and then it was taken out on the longer I was held off TV. I kept being told I’m not TV ready and we don’t understand your character. I told them, ok, here is what I think this character is. It was never received well.”

Purrazzo went on to say that she had vignettes filmed for her “Virtuosa” character, but management didn’t understand what her character was. She also said that the company wasn’t open to learning about her character, pointing out that “Virtuosa” is a word that can be looked up in a dictionary.

The former superstar also said that she was willing to change anything they wanted her to, including her theme music, attire and move set. According to Purrazzo, WWE management had a “preconceived notion” of her and didn’t seem open to giving her the opportunity to make an impression on the WWE Universe.

Even though she was released from her contract, Purrazzo said that she wouldn’t have signed a new deal. During the interview, she recalled how she almost emailed WWE management to ask if they had plans for her. However, before she sent it, she got called up to Monday Night Raw to wrestle Asuka. While the match was well-received, it didn’t lead to opportunities on the red or black-and-gold brands.

Purrazzo is already looking ahead to the future, however. The former NXT star recently joined Impact Wrestling, appearing on an episode of the company’s weekly show earlier this month. She has also adopted her “Virtuosa” gimmick, a heel character with good technical wrestling skills.

Purrazzo appears to be getting a push in Impact Wrestling as well, and she’ll undoubtedly receive more opportunities to succeed there.