NXT Releases Deonna Purrazzo and More Due to Coronavirus Cuts

Many knew that some superstars would likely be released as part of cost-cutting measures by WWE, taken because of the impact the coronavirus has had on businesses all over the world. That said, many did not expect the cuts to go this deep, as WWE announced earlier today quite a few names have been released from the company. That said, unfortunately the cuts also extend to NXT, and while we probably won’t know the full extent of the releases until after NXT, we do already know of one release, which is NXT star Deonna Purrazzo.

Purrazzo actually revealed the news first via social media, and while WWE hasn’t confirmed it yet, it has been confirmed by Fightful. Purrazzo says in her statement that she’s loved the journey and has always wanted to wrestle as part of WWE, and she’s excited to see what’s next.

Purrazzo wrote “The people closest to me know this is something I’ve been struggling with wanting for the better part of the last year. Happy to say I gave this journey my best and MORE excited for the future! ❤️”

Purrazzo, also known as The Virtuosa, has been part of NXT since 2015, coming over from Impact Wrestling and taking on Nia Jax in her NXT debut. She’s since been on television off and on over the years, though appeared quite recently as part of the gauntlet match to determine the last entrant in the No. 1 Contender’s Ladder Match. She would ultimately be ousted early, and it appears that might be her last match for a while on NXT.

Another NXT star has also been released, that being Aleksandar (aka Aleksandar Jaksic). He took to Twitter to share the news as well, and you can find his post below.

“Sometimes Life Does Not Seem Real.
& No Matter How Hard You Work,
It Sometimes Is Not Enough.

White heart MY WWE FAMILY Blue heart

„Until one of our lights is forever extinguished, our dance will never end.”

GOODBYE,
@WWENXT.

He also posted a thank you to the fans and friends who have reached out after hearing the news.

“Thank You To Every1,
Who Reached Out.
I♥️YOU ALL!
~
When I arrived at NXT I said I was going to define this business.
I was going to go down as 1 of the Greatest Of All Time!
No stone was left unturned in my 7 months under contract.
I am 24 y/o.
MY STORY IS YET TO UNFOLD.
~
Z.V.”

We’ve also learned that WWE has let go NXT star MJ Jenkins (Monique Jacqueline Williams-Jenkins), and she took to Twitter to share her thoughts.

“Covid-19 has been devastating for me & my family. My brother in law; who was my legal guardian passed away to Covid-19.

Today, Covid-19 stripped me of my dream job. Feels like life is being sucked from me.

Thank you to everyone that has reached out. Be safe and stay strong. Revolving hearts”

Unfortunately, more cuts have surfaced, starting with three coaches from the WWE Performance Center, including Kendo Kashin, Chris Guy, and Serena Deeb. Guy and Kashin were both hired in 2019, while Deeb has been part of the company since 2018.

Nine more names have been unfortunately added to the list of cuts by WWE, including Taynara Conti, who was involved in the first Mae Young Classic and had been with NXT since 2017. Cezar Bononi was also released, who had been signed since 2015, and so was Mars Wang, who had been signed since 2018. Kassius Ohno has also been confirmed to have been released, as has Mohamed Fahim, Marcos Gomes, Faisal Kurdi, Edgar Lopez, and Hussain Aldagal. Fahmin was originally signed in January 2019. Gomes was signed by WWE in May 2019, Kurdi in June 2019, Aldagal in June 2019, and Lopez in September 2019.

We’ll keep you posted on what else happens regarding NXT today.