Former WWE star was kept hidden in Tony Khan's office before "super top secret" AEW debut
Tony Khan hired a popular former WWE star to AEW earlier this year. The talent's All Elite Wrestling debut was kept secret.
The name being discussed is Deonna Purrazzo. She officially joined All Elite Wrestling in January 2024 and made her first appearance for the company as a contracted performer on the January 3 episode of Dynamite. During the show, she confronted Mariah May. Purrazzo's first feud in the promotion came against Toni Storm. The 30-year-old worked in WWE from 2014 to 2020.
On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Deonna Purrazzo revealed that Tony Khan kept her debut a top secret. She even had to hide in the AEW President's office so that no one could see her on her big day.
"So I didn't know what I was doing until I got there, and I was wheeled into TK’s office on a wheelchair under a tarp so no one [knew]. It was crazy. They didn't want anyone to see who it was. I feel like once they got there, everyone kind of put pieces together and the girls knew it was me, but they wanted it to be super top secret. I wasn't picked up to go to the venue until like, 5 or PM. Then yeah, I was kind of hidden in Tony's office for a little bit, and then they gave me my own separate locker room." [H/T: chrisvanvliet.com]
Deonna Purrazzo was uncomfortable during her AEW debut
In the same interview with Chris Van Vliet, Deonna Purrazzo said the circumstances surrounding her debut made her very uncomfortable, but she was determined to do whatever was asked of her.
"And I felt like, this is just me, this is really silly. I was so uncomfortable. And I was like, I feel bad asking, can someone bring me food? Where do I go to the bathroom? I felt very uncomfortable, but yeah, I didn't have any expectations. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't ask what I was going to be doing. I was just kind of like, this is where I want to be, this is my number one choice. If we can make this happen, Jersey would be great, but I'm in this for the long haul, so you tell me what you want." [H/T: chrisvanvliet.com]
Purrazo is currently in the process of creating a new stable in AEW. She has already combined forces with Taya Valkyrie.