Two-time champion comments on the impact of Mickie James' Royal Rumble appearance (Exclusive)
Two-time Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo recently shared her thoughts on Mickie James' Royal Rumble appearance.
Earlier this year, James made history by entering the WWE Women's Royal Rumble as the reigning IMPACT Knockouts World Champion. The announcement of her appearance was made weeks before the show and sent shockwaves throughout the industry.
In a recent interview with Riju Dasgupta of Sportskeeda Wrestling, The Virtuosa opened up about James' Royal Rumble appearance. She declared that having the Knockouts Champion on a major WWE stage was great for both IMPACT and women's wrestling:
"I was as surprised as everybody else when the announcement was made right before Hard To Kill. I think for IMPACT to be able to cultivate these working relationships with a company like WWE, who is notorious for not playing well with others per se, really speaks volumes about Scott D'Amore and the relationships he's able to have. I think it was really great for IMPACT to have the Knockouts Championship on the Royal Rumble and I don't know if we'll see more of it but again. I hope so because each step that we take to promote women's wrestling on an equal platform the better," Purrazzo said. (05:56 - 06:40)
You can check out the complete interview below:
Deonna Purrazzo and Mickie James had a highly-acclaimed feud on IMPACT Wrestling
Mickie James and Deonna Purrazzo had one of the hottest feuds in the entire industry last year. It all started with Purrazzo's shocking attack on James at NWA 73. The two then battled at Bound For Glory, where James won the Knockouts title.
After months of attacking each other, the rivalry culminated at Hard To Kill in a Texas Deathmatch where James retained her title. The angle seems to have burned itself out for now, but it wouldn't be strange to see the two revisit it in the future.
Multiple matches for @IMPACTWRESTLING #UnderSiege May 7th streaming on IMPACT Plus and YouTube for IMPACT Ultimate Insiders were announced tonight on #IMPACTonAXSTV!
More: impactwrestling.com/2022/04/24/imp…
Tickets: axs.com/events/428900/… https://t.co/hA3fXFFCmL
As of now, however, The Virtuosa is on her own cross-promotional journey. She is set to compete in two title matches as she faces Mercedes Martinez on AEW Dynamite to determine the Undisputed ROH Women's World Champion and Taya Valkyrie at Under Siege for the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship.
When using quotes from this article, please embed the YouTube video and credit Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.