Deonna Purrazzo has been Ring of Honor’s women’s pure champion for 343 days, and no one has managed to take the title from her since she became its first holder at Final Battle.
She has beaten every challenger so far, including Steph De Lander at Death Before Dishonor. With her first year as champion approaching, Purrazzo has a couple of wrestlers in mind who could test her next.
One is Janai Kai, whom Purrazzo faced in a proving ground match after Supercard of Honor in May. Purrazzo praised Kai’s ability and said she’d like to see her get more opportunities in ROH and work her way toward another title match.
“I believe I could beat anybody and trap them in the Fujiwara,” Purrazzo said. “But she might give me a run for my money.”
Kai’s striking has helped her win championships elsewhere, and a match with Purrazzo could be a tough challenge for the reigning champion.
Purrazzo also mentioned Marina Shafir, whose background in mixed martial arts and connection to The Death Riders make her, in Purrazzo’s view, a strong fit for pure wrestling.
“If there’s anyone who could defeat me, it would be Marina Shafir,” she said, adding that she’d still make Shafir work for it.
Shafir is set to challenge Mercedes Moné for the AEW Women’s World Championship at Full Gear on Saturday.
Purrazzo won the ROH title by defeating Billie Starkz to become its inaugural champion. Taking the belt from her won’t be easy, but the two wrestlers she singled out could give her a serious test.
For now, Purrazzo is preparing for JTown Smackdown, a wrestling event scheduled for Friday night at Jefferson Township High School in Oak Ridge, New Jersey. The showcase will draw attention to a longstanding funding problem affecting the school and nearby districts.
